JAMES   BRAITHWAITE 


THE    SUPERCARGO. 


of  ps  ^bfrmtores  Qsfyan  mtb 


W.  H.  G.  KINGSTON, 

AUTHOR  OF 

'PETER  TRAWL';  OR,  THE  ADVENTURES  OF  A  WHALER,' 
"HENDRICKS  THE  HUNTER,"    'JOVINIAN,'   ETC. 


WITH  EIGHT  FULL-PAGE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


gorfe: 

A.    C.    ARMSTRONG   &   SON, 
714    BROADWAY. 

1884. 


STACK 
ANNEX 

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t/s'Vr 

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£ 


INTBODUCTION. 


readers  of  this  book  may  like  to  know  some- 
thing about  the  author,  whose  name  is  so  well 
known  as  the  writer  of  many  stories  for  boys. 

WILLIAM  HENRY  GILES  KINGSTON  was  the  eldest 
son  of  the  late  L.  H.  Kingston,  Esq.,  and  grandson  of 
the  Hon.  Mr.  Justice  Rooke  (Sir  Giles  Rooke).  He 
was  born  in  Harley  Street,  London,  on  February  24th, 
1814.  The  family  resided  many  years  in  Oporto, 
where  his  father  was  then  in  business  as  a  merchant, 


vi  Introduction. 

and  he  had  many  voyages  in  boyhood  between  his 
home  in  Portugal  and  school  in  England.  His  educa- 
tion was  carefully  attended  to,  both  at  school  and 
with  private  tutors.  What  he  was  taught  from  books 
was  amply  supplemented  by  what  he  learned  in  con- 
versation and  travel. 

From  his  earliest  boyhood  young  Kingston  evinced 
a  strong  liking  for  the  sea.  In  consequence  of  family 
connections,  and  his  father's  occupation,  he  had  much 
opportunity  of  being  in  the  society  of  seafaring  men, 
and  their  tales  of  peril  and  adventure  fostered  his  own 
inclination  for  the  life  of  a  sailor.  At  one  time  he  was 
nearly  joining  the  navy,  but  circumstances  required 
him  to  remain  in  his  father's  business  house  at  Oporto 
till  he  was  beyond  the  age  for  entering  the  King's 
service.  He  never,  however,  lost  his  first  taste,  and 
he  had  opportunity  for  several  voyages.  To  the  end 
of  his  days  he  cherished  an  ardent  affection  for  sea- 
men, and  took  deep  interest  in  everything  that  tended 
to  their  welfare.  He  was  proud,  also,  of  the  history  of 
the  British  navy,  as  he  has  shown  in  many  of  his 
spirit-stirring  sea-stories.  When  the  Boy's  Oiun 
Paper  was  started,  in  1879,  he  led  off  with  a 
characteristic  story  of  the  navy  in  the  time  of  the 
great  wars  of  the  reign  of  George  III.,  under  the  title 
of  "  From  Powder  Monkey  to  Admiral." 

Mr.  Kingston's  preference  for  literary  over  business 
life  early  asserted  itself.  He  published  various  books 


Introduction.  vii 

of  history  and  travel,  but  he  soon  found  that  his 
special  calling  was  to  write  sea-stories  for  the  young. 
His  first  boys'  book  was  "  Peter  the  Whaler,"  which 
was  followed  in  rapid  succession  by  a  whole  series  of 
tales  of  travel  and  adventure  by  land  and  sea.  The 
sea-stories  were  the  most  popular,  many  of  which 
appeared  first  in  magazines,  to  be  afterwards  reprinted 
as  separate  volumes.  One  of  the  best  of  these  stories 
is  now  presented  to  the  reader. 

The  sub-title  requires  a  word  of  explanation.  The 
name  of  supercargo  has  now  almost  disappeared  from 
the  nautical  vocabulary.  Changes  in  commerce  and  in 
navigation  have  made  obsolete  many  persons,  as  well 
as  things,  once  familiar.  In  the  old  days  of  mercantile 
venture  and  trade,  ships  sailed  with  great  variety  of 
cargo,  to  be  disposed  of  in  various  ports,  either  by 
arrangement  of  the  owners  or  at  the  discretion  of  the 
captain.  There  was  an  officer  specially  charged  with 
the  management  and  the  sale  of  the  goods  shipped  by 
the  merchants,  and  he  was  called  the  Supercargo.  It 
was  a  responsible  and  difficult  post  to  fill,  and  gave 
scope  for  much  knowledge  and  tact,  as  well  as  requir- 
ing good  character,  from  the  valuable  goods  entrusted 
to  his  charge.  There  was  a  partial  revival  of  the 
name  and  the  duty  during  the  American  civil  war. 
The  blockade-runners  had  sometimes  a  very  miscel- 
laneous cargo  to  dispose  of,  requiring  the  tact  and 
knowledge  of  a  special  Supercargo.  In  ordinary 


viii  Introduction. 

times  the  more  mechanical  part  of  this  duty  is 
performed  by  a  ship's  clerk.  An  experienced  and 
clever  Supercargo  in  old  times  was  not  only  a  shrewd 
merchant  and  man  of  business,  but  he  was  sure  to 
have  seen  many  aspects  of  life  in  different  parts  of 
the  globe.  It  was  therefore  a  happy  thought  in  Mr. 
Kingston  to  make  a  Supercargo  the  narrator  of  a 
voyage,  and  this  at  a  time  when  the  perils  of  war 
were  added  to  the  ordinary  risks  and  adventures  of 
the  sea.  The  illustrations  accompanying  the  story 
are,  with  permission,  taken  from  the  pages  of  the 
Leisure  Hour  and  the  Boy's  Own  Paper. 

Having  referred  to  the  early  life  of  Mr.  Kingston,  it 
may  be  well  to  speak  also  of  his  closing  years.  Till 
the  last  he  retained  his  love  of  the  sea,  and  his  love  of 
boys.  He  wrote  recently,  in  addition  to  a  book  on  the 
"Life  and  Voyages  of  Captain  Cook,"  and  a  "Yacht 
Voyage  round  England,"  a  capital  story  reprinted  from 
the  Boys  Own  Paper,  entitled,  "  Peter  Trawl ;  or,  The 
Adventures  of  a  Whaler;"  and  at  the  time  of  his 
being  seized  with  the  fatal  illness  which  removed  him 
on  the  5th  of  August,  1880,  he  was  engaged  in  pre- 
paring a  story  of  Arctic  adventure.  Only  three  days 
before  his  death  he  wrote  a  touching  letter,  which  was 
sent  by  him  for  publication  to  the  Boy's  Own  Paper. 
Although  many  have  seen  it  there,  this  striking  and 
affectionate  farewell  letter  cannot  be  too  widely 
known,  and  we  have  pleasure  in  quoting  it : — 


Introduction.  ix 


"  STOKHONT  LODGE,  WILLESDEN, 
Aug.  2nd,  1880. 

"  MY  DEAR  BOYS, — I  have  been  engaged,  as  you  know,  for  a 
Very  large  portion  of  my  life  in  writing  books  for  you.  This 
occupation  has  been  a  source  of  the  greatest  pleasure  and 
satisfaction  to  me,  and,  I  am  willing  to  believe,  to  you  also. 

"  Our  connection  with  each  other  in  this  world  must,  how- 
ever, shortly  cease. 

"  I  have  for  some  time  been  suffering  from  serious  illness, 
and  have  been  informed  by  the  highest  medical  authorities 
that  my  days  are  numbered. 

"  Of  the  truth  of  this  I  am  convinced  by  the  rapid  progress 
the  disease  is  making.  It  is  my  desire,  therefore,  to  wish 
you  all  a  sincere  and  hearty  farewell ! 

"  I  want  you  to  know  that  I  am  leaving  this  life  in  unspeak- 
able happiness,  because  I  rest  my  soul  on  my  Saviour, 
trusting  only  and  entirely  to  the  merits  of  the  great  Atone- 
ment, by  which  my  sins  have  been  put  away  for  ever. 

"  Dear  Boys,  I  ask  you  to  give  your  hearts  to  Christ,  and 
earnestly  pray  that  all  of  you  may  meet  me  in  Heaven." 


} 


CONTENTS, 


I. 

PAGB 

IN  SEAECH  OF  THE  "BABBAEA"  .....    1 

II. 
THE  FIGHT      ...•••••   15 

in. 

'GOOD-BYE"  TO  THE  CONVOY 31 

IV. 

THE  "BABBABA"  ON  FIEE  ......    48 

V. 

A  DESPEBATE  ENCOTJNTEB 04 

VI. 

IN  TBOUBLED   WATEES  .  .  ...»      81 

vn. 

"  BBEAKEES   AHEAD ! "  .  .  .  »  o  .  .95 

VIII. 

A   COMPLETE    WBECK 112 


xii  Cvntents. 

IX. 

PAGE 

LIFE   ON  THE   ISLAND 127 

X. 

AN  ANXIOUS   TIME 142 

XL 

ATTACKED   BY   TIIE   FEENCII   FLEET  ....    156 

XII. 

A   GLOEIOUS   VICTORY   .......    172 

XIII. 

AEEIVAL  AT  JAVA 188 

XIV. 

A  PEISONEB  OF  WAS 203 

XV. 

MEATES .   220 

XVI. 

MUTINY  ON   BOAED   THE   "  BAEBAEA "     ....   238 

XVII. 

HOME  AGAIN!      .  .  251 


CHAPTER  I. 

IN  SEARCH  OF  THE  "BARBARA." 

"  TTT  HAT'S  the  name  of  the  craft  you  want  to  get 
*    aboard,  sir  ?  "  asked   old  Bob,  the   one-legged 
boatman,  whose  wherry  I  had  hired  to  carry  me  out 
to  Spithead. 

"  The  Barbara,"  I  answered,  trying  to  look  more  at 
my  ease  than  I  felt;  for  the  old  fellow,  besides  having 
but  one  leg,  had  a  black  patch  over  the  place  where 
his  right  eye  should  have  been,  while  his  left  arm  was 
partially  crippled ;  and  his  crew  consisted  of  a  mite  of 
a  boy  whose  activity  and  intelligence  could  scarcely 
make  up  for  his  want  of  size  and  strength.  The  ebb 
tide,  too,  was  making  strong  out  of  Portsmouth  Har- 
bour, and  a  fresh  breeze  was  blowing  in,  creating  a 
tumbling,  bubbling  sea  at  the  mouth  ;  and  vessels  and 
boats  of  all  sizes  and  rigs  were  dashing  here  and  there, 
madly  and  without  purpose  it  seemed  to  me,  but  at 
all  events  very  likely  to  run  down  the  low  narrow 
craft  in  which  I  had  ventured  to  embark.  Now  and 
then  a  man-of-war's  boat,  with  half-a-dozen  reckless 
midshipmen  in  her,  who  looked  as  if  they  would  not 
have  the  slightest  scruple  in  sailing  over  us,  would 
pass  within  a  few  inches  jDf  the  wherry ;  now  a  ship's 

1 


2  James  Braithwaite. 

launch  with  a  party  of  marines,  pulling  with  uncertain 
strokes  like  a  huge  maimed  centipede,  would  come 
right  across  our  course  and  receive  old  Bob's  no  very 
complimentary  remarks ;  next  a  boatful  of  men-of- 
war's  men,  liberty  men  returning  from  leave.  There 
was  no  use  saying  anything  to  them,  for  there  wasn't 
one,  old  Bob  informed  me,  but  what  was  "  three  sheets 
in  the  wind,"  or  "  half  seas  over," — in  other  words,  very 
drunk  ;  still,  they  managed  to  find  their  way  and  not 
to  upset  themselves,  in  a  manner  which  surprised  me. 
Scarcely  were  we  clear  of  them  when  several  lumber- 
ing dockyard  lighters  would  come  dashing  by,  going 
out  with  stores  or  powder  to  the  fleet  at  Spithead. 

Those  were  indeed  busy  times.  Numerous  ships  of 
war  were  fitting  out  alongside  the  quays,  their  huge 
yards  being  swayed  up,  and  guns  and  stores  hoisted 
on  board,  gruff  shouts,  and  cries,  and  whistles,  and 
other  strange  sounds  proceeding  from  them  as  we 
passed  near.  Others  lay  in  the  middle  of  the  harbour 
ready  for  sea,  but  waiting  for  their  crews  to  be  col- 
ected  by  the  press-gangs  on  shore,  and  to  be  made 
up  with  captured  smugglers,  liberated  gaol-birds,  and 
broken-down  persons  from  every  grade  of  society. 
Altogether,  what  with  transports,  merchantmen,  lighters, 
and  other  craft,  it  was  no  easy  matter  to  beat  out  with- 
out getting  athwart  hawse  of  those  at  anchor,  or  being 
run  down  by  the  still  greater  number  of  small  craft 
under  way.  Still  it  was  an  animated  and  exciting 
scene,  and  all  told  of  active  warfare. 

On  shore  the  bustle  was  yet  more  apparent.     Every- 


In  Search  of  the  "  Barbara"  3 

body  was  in  movement.  Yellow  post-chaises  convey- 
ing young  captains  of  dashing  frigates,  or  admirals' 
private  secretaries,  came  whirling  through  the  streets 
as  if  the  fate  of  the  nation  depended  on  their  speed. 
Officers  of  all  grades,  from  post-captains  with  glittering 
epaulets  to  midshipmen  with  white  patches  on  their 
collars  and  simple  cockades  in  their  hats,  were  hurrying, 
with  looks  of  importance,  through  the  streets.  Large 
placards  were  everywhere  posted  up  announcing  the 
names  of  the  ships  requiring  men,  and  the  advantages 
to  be  obtained  by  joining  them :  plenty  of  prize  money 
and  abundance  of  fighting,  with  consequent  speedy 
promotion;  while  first  lieutenants,  and  a  choice  band 
of  old  hands,  were  near  by  to  win  by  persuasion  those 
who  were  protected  from  being  pressed.  Jack  tars, 
many  with  pig-tails,  and  earrings  in  their  ears,  were 
rolling  about  the  streets,  their  wives  or  sweethearts 
hanging  at  their  elbows,  dressed  in  the  brightest  of 
colours,  huge  bonnets  decked  with  flaunting  ribbons 
on  their  heads,  and  glittering  brass  chains,  and  other 
ornaments  of  glass,  on  their  necks  and  arms.  As  I 
drove  down  the  High  Street  I  had  met  a  crowd  sur- 
rounding a  ship's  gig  on  wheels.  Some  fifty  seamen 
or  more  were  dragging  it  along  at  a  rapid  rate,  leaping 
and  careering,  laughing  and  cheering.  In  the  stern 
sheets  sat  a  well-known  eccentric  post-captain  with 
the  yoke  lines  in  his  hands,  while  he  kept  bending 
forward  to  give  the  time  to  his  crew,  who  were 
arranged  before  him  with  oars  outstretched,  making 
believe  to  row,  and  grinning  all  the  time  in  high  glee 


4  James  Braithwaite. 

from  ear  to  ear.  It  was  said  that  he  was  on  his  way 
to  the  Admiralty  in  London,  the  Lords  Commissioners 
having  for  some  irregularity  prohibited  him  from  leav- 
ing his  ship  except  in  his  gig  on  duty.  Whether  he 
ever  got  to  London  I  do  not  know. 

On  arriving  at  Portsmouth,  I  had  gone  to  the  Blue 
Posts,  an  inn  of  old  renown,  recommended  by  my 
brother  Harry,  who  was  then  a  midshipman,  and  who 
had  lately  sailed  for  the  East  India  station.  It  was 
an  inn  more  patronised  by  midshipmen  and  young 
lieutenants  than  by  post-captains  and  admirals.  I 
had  there  expected  to  meet  Captain  Hassall,  the 
commander  of  the  Barbara,  but  was  told  that,  as  he 
was  the  master  of  a  merchantman,  he  was  more 
likely  to  have  gone  to  the  Keppel's  Head,  at  Port- 
sea.  Thither  I. repaired,  and  found  a  note  from  him 
telling  me  to  come  off  at  once,  and  saying  that  he 
had  had  to  return  on  board  in  a  hurry,  as  he  found 
that  several  of  his  men  had  no  protection,  and  were 
very  likely  to  be  pressed,  one  man  having  already 
been  taken  by  a  press-gang,  and  that  he  was  certain 
to  inform  against  the  others.  Thus  it  was  that  I 
came  to  embark  at  the  Common  Hard  at  Portsea,  and 
had  to  beat  down  the  harbour. 

"  Do  you  think  as  how  you'd  know  your  ship  when 
you  sees  her,  sir  ? "  asked  old  Bob,  with  a  twinkle  in 
his  one  eye,  for  he  had  discovered  my  very  limited 
amount  of  nautical  knowledge,  I  suspect.  "  It  will 
be  a  tough  job  to  find  her,  you  see,  among  so  many." 

Now  I  had  been  on  board  very  often  as  she  lay 


In  Search  of  the  "  Barbara."  5 

alongside  the  quay  in  the  Thames.  I  had  seen  all 
her  cargo  stowed,  knew  every  bale  and  package  and 
case  ;  I  had  attended  to  the  fitting-up  of  my  own 
cabin,  and  was  indeed  intimately  acquainted  with 
every  part  of  her  interior.  But  her  outside — that 
was  a  very  different  matter,  I  began  to  suspect.  I 
saw  floating  on  the  sea,  far  out  in  the  distance,  the 
misty  outlines  of  a  hundred  or  more  big  ships ; 
indeed,  the  whole  space  between  Portsmouth  and 
the  little  fishing  village  of  Ryde  seemed  covered 
with  shipping,  and  my  heart  sank  within  me  at  the 
thought  of  having  to  pick  out  the  Barbara  among  them. 

The  evening  was  drawing  on,  and  the  weather  did 
not  look  pleasant ;  still  I  must  make  the  attempt. 
The  convoy  was  expected  to  sail  immediately,  and 
the  interests  of  my  employers,  Garrard,  Janrin  and 
Company,  would  be  sacrificed  should  the  sailing  of 
the  ship  be  delayed  by  my  neglect.  These  thoughts 
passed  rapidly  through  my  mind  and  made  me  reply 
boldly,  "  We  must  go  on,  at  all  events.  Time  enough 
to  find  her  out  when  we  get  there." 

We  were  at  that  time  near  the  mouth  of  the 
harbour,  with  Haslar  Hospital  seen  over  a  low  sand- 
bank, and  some  odd-looking  sea-marks  on  one  side, 
and  Southsea  beach  and  the  fortifications  of  Ports- 
mouth, with  a  church  tower  and  the  houses  of  the 
town  beyond.  A  line  of  redoubts  and  Southsea 
Castle  appeared,  extending  farther  southward,  while 
the  smooth  chalk-formed  heights  of  Portsdown  rose 
in  the  distance.  As  a  person  suddenly  deprived  of 


6  James  Braithwaite. 

sight  recollects  with  especial  clearness  the  last  objects 
he  has  beheld,  so  this  scene  was  indelibly  impressed 
on  my  mind,  as  it  was  the  last  near  view  I  was  des- 
tined to  have  of  old  England  for  many  a  long  day. 
For  the  same  reason  I  took  a  greater  interest  in  old 
Bob  and  his  boy  Jerry  than  I  might  otherwise  have 
done.  They  formed  the  last  human  link  of  the  chain 
which  connected  me  with  my  native  land.  Bob  had 
agreed  to  take  my  letters  back,  announcing  my  safe 
arrival  on  board — that  is  to  say,  should  I  ever  get  there. 
My  firm  reply,  added  to  the  promise  of  another  five 
shillings  for  the  trouble  he  might  have,  raised  me  again 
in  his  opinion,  and  he  became  very  communicative. 

We  tacked  close  to  a  buoy  off  Southsea  beach. 
"Ay,  sir,  there  was  a  pretty  blaze  just  here  not  many 
years  ago,"  he  remarked.  "  Now  I  mind  it  was  in  '95 
— that's  the  year  my  poor  girl  Betty  died — the  mother 
of  Jerry  there.  You've  heard  talk  of  the  Boyne — a  fine 
ship  she  was,  of  ninety-eight  guns.  While  she,  with 
the  rest  of  the  fleet,  was  at  anchor  at  Spithead,  one 
morning  a  fire  broke  out  in  the  admiral's  cabin,  and 
though  officers  and  men  did  their  best  to  extinguish  it, 
somehow  or  other  it  got  the  upper  hand  of  them  all ; 
but  the  boats  from  the  other  ships  took  most  of  them 
off,  though  some  ten  poor  fellows  perished,  they  say. 
One  bad  part  of  the  business  was,  that  the  guns  were 
all  loaded  and  shotted,  and  as  the  fire  got  to  them  they 
went  off,  some  of  the  shots  reaching  Stokes  Bay,  out 
there  beyond  Haslar,  and  others  falling  among  the 
shipping.  Two  poorfellows  aboard  the  Queen  Charlotte 


In  Search  of  the  "Barbara"  7 

were  killed,  and  another  wounded,  though  she  and  the 
other  ships  got  under  way  to  escape  mischief.  At  about 
half-past  one  she  burnt  from  her  cables,  and  came  slowly 
drifting  in  here  till  she  took  the  ground.  She  burnt 
on  till  near  six  in  the  morning,  when  the  fire  reached 
the  magazine,  and  up  she  blew  with  an  awful  explosion. 
We  knew  well  enough  that  the  moment  would  come, 
and  it  was  a  curious  feeling  we  had  waiting  for  it.  Up 
went  the  blazing  masts  and  beams  and  planks,  and 
came  scattering  down  far  and  wide,  hissing  into  the 
water ;  and  when  we  looked  again  after  all  was  over, 
not  a  timber  was  to  be  seen." 

Bob  also  pointed  out  the  spot  where  nearly  a  century 
before  the  Edgar  had  blown  up,  and  every  soul  in  her 
had  perished,  and  also  where  the  Royal  George  and 
the  brave  Admiral  Kempenfeldt,  with  eight  hundred 
men,  had  gone  down  several  years  before  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  Boyne.  "  Ay,  sir,  to  my  mind  it's  sad  to 
think  that  the  sea  should  swallow  up  so  many  fine 
fellows  as  she  does  every  year,  and  yet  we  couldn't  very 
well  do  without  her,  so  I  suppose  it's  all  right.  Mind 
your  head-sheets,  Jerry,  or  she'll  not  come  about  in 
this  bobble,"  he  observed,  as  we  were  about  to  tack 
round  the  buoy. 

Having  kept  well  to  the  eastward,  we  were  now 
laying  up  to  windward  of  the  fleet.  There  were  line- 
of-battle  ships,  and  frigates,  and  corvettes,  and  huge 
Indiamen  as  big-looking  as  many  line-of-battle  ships, 
and  large  transports,  and  numberless  merchantmen — 
ships  and  barques,  and  brigs  and  schooners;  but  as  to 


8  James  Braithwaite. 

what  the  Barbara  was  like  I  had  not  an  idea.  I  fixed 
on  one  of  the  largest  of  the  Indiamen,  but  when  I  told 
old  Bob  the  tonnage  of  the  -Barbara  he  laughed,  and 
said  she  wasn't  half  the  size  of  the  ship  I  pointed  out. 

It  was  getting  darkish  and  coming  on  to  blow  pretty 
fresh,  and  how  to  find  my  ship  among  the  hundred  or 
more  at  anchor  I  could  not  possibly  tell. 

"  Well,  I  thought  from  your  look  and  the  way  you 
hailed  me  that  you  was  a  sea-faring  gentleman,  and 
on  course  you'd  ha'  known  your  own  ship,"  said  old 
Bob,  with  a  wink  of  his  one  eye.  "  Howsomever,  we 
can  beat  about  among  the  fleet  till  it's  dark,  and  then 
back  to  Portsmouth ;  and  then,  do  ye  see,  sir,  we  can 
come  out  to-morrow  morning  by  daylight  and  try 
again.  Maybe  we  shall  have  better  luck.  The  convoy 
is  sure  not  to  sail  in  the  night,  and  the  tide  won't  serve 
till  ten  o'clock  at  earliest." 

"  This  comes  of  dressing  in  nautical  style,  and  assum- 
ing airs  foreign  to  me,"  I  thought  to  myself,  though  I 
could  not  help  fancying  that  there  was  some  quiet 
irony  in  the  old  man's  tone.  His  plan  did  not  at  all 
suit  my  notions.  I  was  already  beginning  to  feel  very 
uncomfortable,  bobbing  and  tossing  about  among  the 
ships  ;  and  I  expected  to  be  completely  upset,  unless 
I  could  speedily  put  my  foot  on  something  more  stable 
than  the  cockle-shell,  or  rather  bean-pod,  of  a  boat 
in  which  I  sat.  I  began  to  be  conscious,  indeed,  that 
I  must  be  looking  like  anything  but  "a  seafaring 
gentleman." 

"But  we  must  find  her,"  I  exclaimed,  with  some 


In  Search  of  the  "  Barbara"  9 

little  impetuosity ;  "  it  will  never  do  to  be  going  back, 
and  I  know  she's  here." 

"  So  the  old  woman  said  as  was  looking  for  her 
needle  in  the  bundle  of  hay,"  observed  old  Bob,  with 
provoking  placidity.  "On  course  she  is,  and  we  is 
looking  for  her :  but  it's  quite  a  different  thing  whether 
we  finds  her  or  not,  'specially  when  it  gets  dark  ;  and 
if,  as  I  suspects,  it  comes  on  to  blow  freshish  there'll 
be  a  pretty  bobble  of  a  sea  here  at  the  turn  of  the 
tide.  To  be  sure,  we  may  stand  over  to  Ryde  and 
haul  the  boat  up  there  for  the  night.  There's  a  pretty 
decentish  public  on  the  beach,  the  Pilot's  Home, 
where  you  may  get  a  bed,  and  Jerry  and  I  always 
sleeps  under  the  wherry.  That's  the  only  other  thing 
for  you  to  do,  sir,  that  I  sees  on." 

Though  very  unwilling  to  forego  the  comforts  of 
my  cabin  and  the  society  of  Captain  Hassall,  I  agreed 
to  old  Bob's  proposal,  provided  the  Barbara  was  not 
soon  to  be  found.  We  sailed  about  among  the  fleet 
for  some  time,  hailing  one  ship  after  another,  but  mine 
could  not  be  found.  I  began  to  suspect  at  last -that 
old  Bob  did  not  wish  to  find  her,  but  had  his  eye  on 
another  day's  work,  and  pay  in  proportion,  as  he 
might  certainly  consider  that  he  had  me  in  his  power, 
and  could  demand  what  he  chose.  I  was  on  the 
point  of  giving  up  the  search,  when,  as  we  were  near 
one  of  the  large  Indiamen  I  have  mentioned,  a  vessel 
running  past  compelled  us  to  go  close  alongside.  An 
officer  was  standing  on  the  accommodation-ladder, 
assisting  up  some  passengers.  He  hailed  one  of  the 


io  fames  Braithwaite. 

people  in  the  boat,  about  some  luggage.  I  knew  the 
voice,  and,  looking  more  narrowly,  I  recognised,  I 
thought,  my  old  schoolfellow,  Jack  Newall.  I  called 
him  by  name.  "Who's  that?"  he  exclaimed.  "What, 
Braithwaite,  my  fine  fellow,  what  brings  you  out  here  ?" 
When  I  told  him,  "It  is  ten  chances  to  one  that 
you  pick  her  out  to-night,"  he  answered.  "  But  come 
aboard  ;  I  can  find  you  a  berth,  and  to-morrow  morn- 
ing you  can  continue  your  search.  Depend  on  it  your 
ship  forms  one  of  our  convoy,  so  that  she  will  not  sail 
without  you." 

I  was  too  glad  to  accept  Jack  Newall's  offer.  Old 
Bob  looked  rather  disappointed  at  finding  me  snatched 
from  his  grasp,  and  volunteered  to  come  back  early 
in  the  morning,  and  take  me  on  board  the  Barbara, 
promising  in  the  meantime  to  find  her  out. 

The  sudden  change  from  the  little  boat  tumbling 
about  in  the  dark  to  the  Indiaman's  well-lighted 
cuddy,  glittering  with  plate  and  glass,  into  which  my 
friend  introduced  me — filled,  moreover,  as  it  was,  with 
well-dressed  ladies  and  gentlemen — was  very  startling. 
She  was  the  well-known  Cuffnels,  a  ship  of  twelve 
hundred  tons,  one  of  the  finest  of  her  class,  and, 
curiously  enough,  was  the '  very  one  which,  two 
voyages  before,  had  carried  my  brother  Frederick 
out  to  India. 

I  had  never  before  been  on  board  an  Indiaman. 
Everything  about  her  seemed  grand  and  ponderous, 
and  gave  me  the  idea  of  strength  and  stability.  If 
she  was  to  meet  with  any  disaster,  it  would  not  be 


In  Search  of  the  "Barbara"  n 

for  want  of  being  well  found.  The  captain  remem- 
bered my  brother,  and  was  very  civil  to  me ;  and 
several  other  people  knew  my  family,  so  that  I  spent 
a  most  pleasant  evening  on  board,  in  the  society  of 
the  nabobs  and  military  officers,  and  the  ladies  who 
had  husbands  and  those  who  had  not,  but  fully  ex- 
pected to  get  them  at  the  end  of  the  voyage,  and  the 
young  cadets  and  writers,  and  others  who  usually 
formed  the  complement  of  an  Indiaman's  passengers 
in  those  days.  Everything  seemed  done  in  princely 
style  on  board  her.  She  had  a  crew  of  a  hundred 
men,  a  captain,  and  four  officers,  mates,  a  surgeon, 
and  purser;  besides  midshipmen,  a  boatswain,  car- 
penter, and  other  petty  officers.  I  was  invited  to 
come  on  board  whenever  there  was  au  opportunity 
during  the  voyage. 

"  We  are  not  cramped,  you  see,"  observed  Newall, 
casting  his  eye  over  the  spacious  decks,  "  so  you  will 
not  crowd  us ;  and  if  you  cannot  bring  us  news,  we 
can  exchange  ideas." 

True  to  his  word,  old  Bob  came  alongside  the  next 
morning,  and  told  me  that  he  had  found  out  the 
Barbara,  and  would  put  me  on  board  in  good  time  for 
breakfast. 

I  found  Captain  Hassall  very  anxious  at  my  non- 
appearance,  and  on  the  point  of  sending  the  second 
officer  on  shore  to  look  for  me,  as  it  was  expected 
that  the  convoy  would  sail  at  noon;  indeed,  the  Active 
frigate,  which  was  to  convoy  us,  had  Blue  Peter 
flying  at  her  mast-head,  as  had  all  the  merchantmen. 


12  James  Braithwaite. 

"  You'd  have  time  to  take  a  cruise  about  the 
fleet,  and  I'll  spin  you  no  end  of  yarns  if  you  like  to 
come,  sir,"  said  old  Bob,  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye,  as 
his  wherry  was  see-sawing  alongside  in  a  manner 
most  uncomfortable  to  a  landsman. 

'•'  No,  thank  you,  Bob ;  I  must  hear  the  end  of  your 
yarns  when  I  come  back  again  to  old  England  ;  I'll 
not  forget  you,  depend  on  it." 

Captain  Hassall  had  not  recovered  his  equanimity 
of  temper,  which  had  been  sorely  ruffled  at  having 
had  two  of  his  best  men  taken  off  by  a  press-gang. 
He  had  arrived  on  board  in  time  to  save  two  more 
who  would  otherwise  also  have  been  taken.  He 
inveighed  strongly  against  the  system,  and  declared 
that  if  it  was  continued  he  would  give  up  England 
and  go  over  to  the  United  States.  It  certainly 
created  a  very  bad  feeling  both  among  officers  and 
men  in  the  merchant  service.  While  we  were  talk- 
ing, the  frigate  which  was  to  convoy  us  loosed  her 
topsails  and  fired  a  gun,  followed  soon  after  by 
another,  as  a  signal  to  way.  The  merchantmen  at 
once  began  to  make  sail,  not  so  quick  an  operation  as 
on  board  the  man-of-war.  The  pipe  played  cheerily, 
round  went  the  capstan,  and  in  short  time  we,  with 
fully  fifty  other  vessels,  many  of  them  first-class 
Indiamen,  with  a  fair  breeze,  were  standing  down 
Channel ;  the  sky  bright,  the  sea  blue,  while  their 
white  sails,  towering  upwards  to  the  heavens,  shone 
in  the  sunbeams  like  pillars  of  snow. 

The  Barbara  proved  herself  a  fast  sailer,  and  could 


In  Search  of  the  "Barbara"  13 

easily  keep  up  with  our  Active  protector,  which  kept 
sailing  round  the  majestic-looking  but  slow-moving 
Iridiamen,  as  if  to  urge  them  on,  as  the  shepherd's  dog 
does  his  flock.  We  hove-to  off  Falmouth,  that  other 
vessels  might  join  company.  Altogether,  we  formed 
a  numerous  convoy — some  bound  to  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  others  to  different  parts  of  India — two 
or  three  to  our  lately-established  settlements  in  New 
South  Wales,  and  several  more  to  China. 

I  will  not  dwell  on  my  feelings  as  we  took  ^our 
departure  from  the  land,  the  Lizard  lights  bearing  N. 
half  E.  I  had  a  good  many  friends  to  care  for  me, 
and  one  for  whom  I  had  more  than  friendship.  We 
had  magnificent  weather  and  plenty  of  time  to  get 
the  ship  into  order ;  indeed  I,  with  others  who  had 
never  been  to  sea,  began  to  entertain  the  notion  that 
we  were  to  glide  on  as  smoothly  as  we  were  then 
doing  during  the  whole  voyage.  We  were  to  be 
disagreeably  undeceived.  A  gale  sprang  up  with 
little  warning  about  midnight,  and  hove  us  almost 
on  our  beam  ends;  and  though  we  righted  with  the 
loss  only  of  a  spar  or  two,  we  were  tumbled  about  in 
a  manner  subversive  of  all  comfort,  to  say  the  least 
of  it. 

When  morning  broke,  the  hitherto  trim  and  well- 
behaved  fleet  were  scattered  in  all  directions,  and 
several  within  sight  received  some  damage  or  other. 
The  wind  fell  as  quickly  as  it  had  risen,  and  during 
the  day  the  vessels  kept  returning  to  their  proper 
stations  in  the  convoy.  When  night  came  on  several 


14  James  Braithwaite. 

were  still  absent,  "but  were  seen  approaching  in  the 
distance.  Our  third  mate  had  been  aloft  for  some 
time,  and  when  he  came  into  the  cabin  he  remarked 
that  he  had  counted  more  sail  in  the  horizon  than 
there  were  missing  vessels.  Some  of  the  party  were 
inclined  to  laugh  at  him,  and  inquired  what  sort  of 
craft  he  supposed  they  were,  phantom  ships  or  enemy's 
cruisers. 

"  I'll  tell  you  what,  gentlemen, — I  think  that  they 
are  very  probably  the  latter,"  said  the  captain.  "I 
have  known  strange  things  happen ;  vessels  cut  out 
at  night  from  the  midst  of  a  large  convoy,  others 
pillaged  and  the  crews  and  passengers  murdered, 
thrown  overboard,  or  carried  off.  We  shall  be  on  our 
guard,  and  have  our  guns  loaded,  and  if  any  gentry  of 
this  sort  attempt  to  play  their  tricks  on  us  they  will 
find  that  they  have  caught  a  tartar." 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  FIGHT. 

T  MAY  as  well  here  give  an  account  of  the  Barbara, 
-•-  and  how  I  came  to  be  on  board  her.  Deprived  of 
my  father,  who  was  killed  in  battle  just  as  I  was  going 
up  to  the  University,  and  left  with  very  limited  means, 
I  was  offered  a  situation  as  clerk  in  the  counting- 
house  of  a  distant  relative,  Mr.  Janrin.  I  had  no 
disinclination  to  mercantile  pursuits.  I  looked  on  them, 
if  carried  out  in  a  proper  spirit,  as  worthy  of  a  man 
of  intellect,  and  I  therefore  gladly  accepted  the  offer. 
As  my  mother  lived  in  the  country,  my  kind  cousin 
invited  me  to  come  and  reside  with  him,  an  advantage 
I  highly  appreciated.  Everything  was  conducted  in 
his  house  with  clock-work  regularity.  If  the  weather 
was  rainy,  his  coach  drew  up  to  the  door  at  the  exact 
hour ;  if  the  weather  was  fine,  the  servant  stood  ready 
with  his  master's  spencer,  and  hat,  and  gloves,  and 
gold-headed  cane,  without  which  Mr.  Janrin  never 
went  abroad.  Not  that  he  required  it  to  support  his 
steps,  but  it  was  the  mark  of  a  gentleman.  It  had 
superseded  the  sword  which  he  had  worn  in  his  youth. 
I  soon  got  to  like  these  regular  ways,  and  found  them 
far  pleasanter  than  the  irregularity  of  some  houses 


1 6  James  Braithwaite. 

where  I  had  visited.  I  always  accompanied  Mr. 
Janrin  when  he  walked,  and  derived  great  benefit  from 
his  conversation,  and  though  he  offered  me  a  seat  in 
the  coach  in  bad  weather,  I  saw  that  he  was  better 
pleased  when  I  went  on  foot.  "Young  men  require 
exercise,  and  should  not  pamper  themselves,"  he 
observed  ;  "  but,  James,  I  say,  put  a  dry  pair  of  shoes 
in  your  pocket — therein  is  wisdom ;  and  don't  sit  in 
your  wet  ones  all  day." 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  I  was  treated  by  my 
worthy  principal  from  the  first  as  a  relative,  and  a 
true  friend  he  was  to  me.  But  I  was  introduced  into 
the  mysteries  of  mercantile  affairs  by  Mr.  Gregory 
Thursby,  the  head  clerk.  He  lived  over  the  counting- 
house,  and  on  my  first  appearance  in  it,  before  any  of 
the  other  clerks  had  arrived,  he  was  there  to  receive 
me.  He  took  me  round  to  the  different  desks,  and 
explained  the  business  transacted  at  each  of  therri. 
"  And  there,  Mr.  James,  look  there,"  he  said,  pointing 
to  a  line  of  ponderous  folios  on  a  shelf  within  easy 
distance  of  where  he  himself  sat :  "see,  we  have  Swift's 
works,  a  handsome  edition  too,  eh  ! "  and  he  chuckled 
as  he  spoke. 

"  Why,  I  fancied  that  they  were  ledgers,"  said  I. 

"  Ha  !  ha  !  ha !  so  they  are,  and  yet  Swift's  works, 
for  all  that,  those  of  my  worthy  predecessor,  Jeremiah 
Swift,  every  line  in  them  written  by  his  own  hand,  in 
his  best  style  ;  so  I  call  them  Swift's  works.  You  are 
not  the  first  person  by  a  great  many  I  have  taken  in. 
Ha!  ha!  ha!" 


The  Fight.  17 

This  was  one  of  the  worthy  man's  harmless  conceits. 
He  never  lost  an  opportunity  of  indulging  in  the  joke 
to  his  own  amusement ;  and  I  remarked  that  he 
laughed  as  heartily  the  last  time  he  uttered  it  as  the 
first. 

I  set  to  work  diligently  at  once  on  the  tasks  given 
me,  and  was  rewarded  by  the  approving  remarks  of 
Mr.  Janrin  and  Mr.  Thursby.  Mr.  Garrard  had  long 
ago  left,  not  only  the  business  but  this  world  ;  the 
"  Co."  was  his  nephew,  Mr.  Luttridge,  who  was  absent 
on  account  of  ill-health,  and  thus  the  whole  weight  of 
the  business  rested  on  the  shoulders  of  Mr.  Janrin. 
But,  as  Thursby  remarked,  "  He  can  well  support  it, 
Mr.  James.  He's  an  Atlas.  It's  my  belief  that  he 
would  manage  the  financial  affairs  of  this  kingdom 
better  than  any  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer,  or  other 
minister  of  State,  past  or  present;  and  that  had  he 
been  at  the  head  of  affairs  we  should  not  have  lost  our 
North  American  Colonies,  or  have  got  plunged  over 
head  and  ears  in  debt  as  we  are,  alack !  already ;  and 
now,  with  war  raging  and  all  the  world  in  arms 
against  us,  getting  deeper  and  deeper  into  the  mire." 
Without  holding  my  worthy  principal  in  such  deep 
admiration  as  our  head  clerk  evidently  did,  I  had  a 
most  sincere  regard  and  respect  for  him. 

Our  dinner  hour  was  at  one  o'clock,  in  a  room  over 
the  office.  Mr.  Janrin  himself  presided,  and  all  the 
clerks,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest,  sat  at  the 
board.  Here,  however,  on  certain  occasions,  hand- 
some dinners  were  given  at  a  more  fashionable  hour 

2 


1 8  James  Braithwaite. 

to  any  friends  or  correspondents  of  the  house  who 
might  be  in  London.  Mr.  Thursby  took  the  foot  of 
the  table,  and  I  was  always  expected  to  be  present. 
At  length  I  completed  two  years  of  servitude  in  the 
house,  and  by  that  time  was  thoroughly  up  to  all  the 
details  of  business.  I  had  been  very  diligent.  I  had 
never  taken  a  holiday,  and  never  had  cause  to  absent 
myself  from  business  on  account  of  ill-health.  On  the 
very  day  I  speak  of  we  had  one  of  the  dinners  men- 
tioned. The  guests  were  chiefly  merchants  or  planters 
from  the  West  Indies,  with  a  foreign  consul  or  two, 
and  generally  a  few  masters  of  merchantmen.  The 
guests  as  they  arrived  were  announced  by  Mr.  Janrin's 
own  servant,  Peter  Klopps,  who  always  'waited  on 
these  occasions.  Peter  was  himself  a  character.  He 
was  a  Dutchman.  Mr.  Janrin  had  engaged  his  services 
many  years  before  during  a  visit  to  Holland.  He  had 
picked  Peter  out  of  a  canal,  or  Peter  had  picked  him 
out,  on  a  dark  night — I  never  could  understand  which 
had  rendered  the  service  to  the  other  ;  at  all  events,  it 
had  united  them  ever  afterwards,  and  Peter  had  after- 
wards nursed  his  master  through  a  long  illness,  and 
saved  his  life.  The  most  important  secrets  of  State 
might  have  been  discussed  freely  in  Peter's  presence. 
First,  he  did  not  understand  a  word  that  was  said, 
and  then  he  was  far  too  honest  and  discreet  to 
have  revealed  it  if  he  had. 

Several  people  had  been  announced.  Ten  minutes 
generally  brought  the  whole  together.  I  caught  the 
name  of  one — Captain  Hassall.  He  was  a  stranger,  a 


The  Fight.  19 

strongly-built  man  with  a  sunburnt  countenance  and 
bushy  whiskers;  nothing  remarkable  about  him,  except, 
perhaps,  the  determined  expression  of  his  eye  and 
mouth.  His  brow  was  good,  and  altogether  I  liked 
his  looks,  and  was  glad  to  find  myself  seated  next  to 
him.  He  had  been  to  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  had 
spent  some  time  in  the  India  and  China  seas.  He 
gave  me  graphic  accounts  of  the  strange  people  of  those 
regions;  and  fights  with  Chinese  and  Malay  pirates, 
battles  of  a  more  regular  order  with  French  arid 
Spanish  privateers,  hurricanes  or  typhoons.  Ship- 
wrecks and  exciting  adventures  of  all  sorts  seemed 
matters  of  everyday  occurrence.  A  scar  on  his  cheek 
and  another  across  his  hand,  showed  that  he  had  been, 
at  close  quarters,  too,  on  some  occasion,  with  the 
enemy. 

Air.  Janrin  and  Mr.  Thursby  both  paid  him  much 
attention  during  dinner.  Allusions  were  made  by 
him  to  a  trading  voyage  he  had  performed  in  the  ser- 
vice of  the  firm,  and  it  struck  me  from  some  remarks 
he  let  drop  that  he  was  about  to  undertake  another  of 
a  similar  character.  I  was  not  mistaken.  After  dinner, 
when  the  rest  of  the  guests  were  gone,  he  remained 
behind  to  discuss  particulars,  and  Mr.  Janrin  desired 
rne  to  join  the  conclave.  I  was  much  interested  in  all 
I  heard.  A  large  new  ship,  the  Barbara,  had  been 
purchased,  of  which  Captain  Hassall  had  become  part 
owner.  She  was  now  in  dock  fitting  for  sea.  She 
mounted  ten  carriage  guns  and  four  swivels,  and  was 
to  be  supplied  with  a  proportionate  quantity  of  small 


2O  aines  Braithwaite. 


arms,  and  to  be  well  manned.  A  letter  of  marque  was 
to  be  obtained  for  her,  though  she  was  not  to  fight 
except  in  case  of  necessity  ;  while  her  cargo  was  to  be 
assorted  and  suited  to  various  localities.  She  was  to 
visit  several  places  to  the  East  of  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  and  to  proceed  on  to  the  Indian  Islands  and 
China. 

"  And  how  do  you  like  the  enterprise,  James  ?  " 
asked  Mr.  Janrin,  after  the^captain  had  gone. 

"  I  have  not  considered  the  details  sufficiently  to 
give  an  opinion,  sir,"  I  answered.  "  If  all  turns  out  as 
the  captain  expects,  it  must  be  very  profitable,  but 
there  are  difficulties  to  be  overcome,  and  dangers 
encountered,  and  much  loss  may  be  incurred." 

I  saw  Mr.  Janrin  and  the  head  clerk  exchange 
glances,  and  nod  to  each  other.  I  fancy  that  they 
were  nods  of  approval  at  what  I  had  said. 

"  Then,  James,  you  would  not  wish  to  engage  in  it 
in  any  capacity  ?  "  said  Mr.  Janrin.  "  You  would 
rather  not  encounter  the  dangers  and  difficulties  of 
such  a  voyage  ?  " 

"That  is  a  very  different  matter,  sir,"  I  answered. 
"  I  should  very  much  like  to  visit  the  countries  you 
speak  of,  and  the  difficulties  I  cannot  help  seeing 
would  enhance  the  interest  of  the  voyage." 

Again  the  principal  and  clerk  exchanged  glances 
and  nodded. 

"  What  do  you  say,  then,  James,  to  taking  charge  of 
the  venture  as  supercargo  ?  My  belief  is  that  you  will 
act  with  discretion  and  judgment  as  to  its  disposal, 


The  Fight.  21 

and  that  we  shall  have  every  reason  to  be  satisfied 
with  you.  Mr.  Thursby  agrees  with  me,  do  you  not, 
Thursby  ? " 

"  I  feel  sure  that  Mr.  James  will  bring  no  discredit 
on  the  firm,  sir,"  answered  Mr.  Thursby,  smiling  at  me. 
"  On  the  contrary,  sir,  no  young  man  I  am  acquainted 
with  is  so  likely  to  conduce  to  the  success  of  the 
enterprise." 

I  was  highly  gratified  by  the  kind  remarks  of  my 
friends,  and  expressed  my  thanks  accordingly,  at  the 
same  time  that  I  begged  I  might  be  allowed  two  days 
for  consideration.  I  desired,  of  course,  to  consult  my 
mother,  and  was  anxious  also  to  know  what  another 
would  have  to  say  to  the  subject.  She,  like  a  sensible 
girl,  agreed  with  rne  that  it  would  be  wise  to  endure 
the  separation  for  the  sake  of  securing,  as  I  hoped  to 
do,  ultimate  comfort  and  independence.  I  knew  from 
the  way  that  she  gave  this  advice  that  she  did  not 
love  me  less  than  I  desired.  I  need  say  no  more  than 
that  her  confidence  was  a  powerful  stimulus  to  exertion 
and  perseverance  in  the  career  I  had  chosen.  My 
mother  was  far  more  doubtful  about  the  matter.  Not 
till  the  morning  after  I  had  mentioned  it  to  her  did 
she  say,  "  Go,  my  son ;  may  God  protect  you  and  bless 
your  enterprise ! " 

I  was  from  this  time  forward  actively  engaged  in 
the  preparations  for  the  voyage.  My  personal  outfit 
was  speedily  ready,  but  I  considered  it  necessary  to 
examine  all  the  cases  of  merchandise  put  on  board, 
that  I  might  be  properly  acquainted  with  all  the 


22  James  Braithwaite. 

articles  in  which  I  was  going  to  trade.  "  It's  just 
what  I  expected  of  him,"  I  heard  Mr.  Janrin  remark 
to  Mr.  Thursby,  when  one  evening  I  returned  late 
from  my  daily  duties.  "  Ay,  sir,  there  is  the  ring  of 
the  true  metal  in  the  lad,"  observed  the  head  clerk. 

Captain  Hassall  was  as  active  in  his  department  as 
I  was  in  mine,  and  we  soon  had  the  Barbara  ready 
for  sea  with  a  tolerably  good  crew.  In  those  stirring 
days  of  warfare  it  was  no  easy  thing  to  man  a  mer- 
chantman well,  but  Captain  Hassall  had  found  several 
men  who  had  saifed  with  him  on  previous  voyages, 
and  they  without  difficulty  persuaded  others  to  ship 
on  board  the  Barbara. 

Our  first  officer,  Mr.  Randolph,  was  a  gentleman  in 
the  main,  and  a  very  pleasant  companion,  though  he 
had  at  first  sight,  in  his  everyday  working  suit,  that 
scarecrow  look  which  tall  gaunt  men,  who  have  been 
somewhat  battered  by  wind  and  weather,  are  apt  to 
get.  Our  second  mate,  Ben, or  rather  "Benjie"  Stubbs, 
as  he  was  usually  called,  was  nearly  as  broad  as  he 
was  long,  with  puffed-out  brown  cheeks  wearing  an 
invincible  smile.  He  was  a  man  of  one  idea  :  he  was 
satisfied  with  being  a  thorough  seaman,  and  was 
nothing  else.  As  to  history,  or  science,  or  the  interior 
of  countries,  he  was  profoundly  ignorant.  As  to  the 
land,  it  was  all  very  well  in  its  way  to  grow  trees  and 
form  harbours,  but  the  sea  was  undoubtedly  the 
proper  element  for  people  to  live  on  ;  and  he  seemed 
to  look  with  supreme  contempt  on  all  those  who  had 
the  misfortune  to  be  occupied  on  shore.  The  third 


The  Fight.  23 

mate,  Henry  Irby,  had  very  little  the  appearance  of  a 
sailor,  though  he  was  a  very  good  one.  He  was  slight 
in  figure,  and  refined  in  his  manners,  and  seemed,  I 
fancied,  born  to  a  higher  position  than  that  which  he 
held.  He  had  served  for  two  years  before  the  mast, 
but  his  rough  associates  during  that  time  had  not  been 
able  in  any  way  to  alter  him.  Our  surgeon,  David 
G vvynne,  was,  I  need  scarcely  say,  a  Welshman.  He 
had  not  had  much  professional  experience,  but  he  was 
an  intelligent  young  man,  and  had  several  of  the 
peculiarities  which  are  considered  characteristic  of  his 
people ;  but  I  hoped,  from  what  I  saw  of  him  when  he 
first  came  on  board,  that  he  would  prove  an  agreeable 
companion.  Curious  as  it  may  seem,  there  were  two 
men  among  the  crew  who  by  birth  were  superior  to 
any  of  us.  I  may,  perhaps,  have  to  say  more  about 
them  by-and-bye.  We  mustered,  officers  and  men, 
forty  hands  all  told. 

I  will  pass  over  the  leave-takings  with  all  the  dear 
ones  at  home.  I  knew  and  felt  that  true  prayers,  as 
well  as  kind  wishes,  would  follow  me  wherever  I 
might  go. 

"  James,"  said  my  kind  employer  as  I  parted  from 
him,  "  I  trust  you  thoroughly  as  I  would  my  own  son 
if  I  had  one.  I  shall  not  blame  you  if  the  enterprise 
does  not  succeed ;  so  do  not  take  it  to  heart,  for  I 
know  that  you  will  do  your  best,  and  no  man  can  do 
more."  Mr.  Tlmrsby  considered  that  it  was  incum- 
bent on  him  to  take  a  dignified  farewell  of  me,  and  to 
impress  on  me  all  the  duties  and  responsibilities  of  my 


24  James  Braithwaite. 

office  ;  but  he  broke  down,  and  a  tear  stood  in  Ins  eye 
as  he  wrung  my  hand,  and  said  in  a  husky  voice, 
"  You  know  all  about  it,  my  dear  boy ;  you'll  do  well, 
and  we  shall  have  you  back  here,  hearty  and  strong, 
with  information  successfully  to  guide  Garrard,  Janrin 
and  Co.  in  many  an  important  speculation ;  and, 
moreover,  I  hope,  to  lay  the  foundation  of  your  own 
fortune.  Good-bye,  good-bye ;  heaven  bless  you,  my 
boy!" 

I  certainly  could  not  have  commenced  my  under- 
taking under  better  auspices.  Having  obtained  the 
necessary  permission  of  "the  Honorable  East  India 
Company  to  trade  in  their  territories,  the  Barbara 
proceeded  to  Spithead,  and  I  ran  down  to  pay  a  flying 
visit  to  my  friends,  which  was  the  cause  of  my  joining 
the  ship  at  Spithead  in  the  way  I  have  described,  and 
where  I  left  my  readers  to  give  these  necessary  ex- 
planations. 

The  convoy  was  standing  on  under  easy  sail  to 
allow  the  scattered  vessels  to  come  up,  and  as  long  as 
there  was  a  ray  of  daylight  they  were  seen  taking  up 
their  places.  Now  and  then,  after  dark,  I  could  see  a 
phantom  form  gliding  by ;  some  tall  Indiaman,  or 
heavy  store-ship,  or  perhaps  some  lighter  craft,  to  part 
with  us  after  crossing  the  line,  bound  round  Cape 
Horn.  The  heat  was  considerable,  and  as  I  felt  no 
inclination  to  turn  in,  I  continued  pacing  the  deck  till 
it  had  struck  six  bells  in  the  first  watch.*  Mr.  Ean- 

*  This  ordinary  watch  consists  of  four  hours,  and  the  bell  is 
struck  every  half-hour.  As  the  first  watch  commences  at  eight, 


The  Fight.  25 

dolph,  the  senior  mate,  had  charge  of  the  deck.  He, 
I  found,  was  not  always  inclined  to  agree  with  some 
of  the  opinions  held  by  our  captain. 

"He's  a  fine  fellow,  our  skipper,  but  full  of  fancies, 
as  you'll  find ;  but  there  isn't  a  better  seaman  out  of 
the  port  of  London,"  he  observed,  as  he  took  a  few 
turns  alongside  me.  "  I  have  a  notion  that  he  believes 
in  the  yarns  of  the  Flying  Dutchman,  and  of  old  Boody, 
the  Portsmouth  chandler,  and  in  many  other  such  bits 
of  nonsense,  but  as  I  was  saying " 

"  What,  don't  you  ?  "  I  asked,  interrupting  him  ;  "  I 
thought  all  sailors  believed  in  those  tales." 

The  captain  had  been  narrating  some  of  them  to  us 
a  few  evenings  before. 

"  No,  I  do  not,"  answered  the  first  mate,  somewhat 
sharply.  "  I  believe  that  God  made  this  water  beneath 
our  feet,  and  that  He  sends  the  wind  which  sometimes 
covers  it  over  with  sparkling  ripples,  and  at  others 
stirs  it  up  into  foaming  seas,  but  I  don't  think  He  lets 
spirits  or  ghosts  of  any  sort  wander  about  doing  no 
good  to  any  one.  That's  my  philosophy.  I  don't  in- 
tend to  belief  in  the  stuff  till  I  see  one  of  the  gentlemen  ; 
and  then  I  shall  look  pretty  sharply  into  his  character 
before  I  take  my  hat  off  to  him." 

"  You  are  right,  Mr.  Randolph,  and  I  do  not  sup- 
pose that  the  captain  differs  much  from  you.  He  only 
wishes  to  guard  against  mortal  enemies,  and  he  has 

it  was  then  eleven.  There  are  two  dog-watches  from  four  to 
six  and  from  six  to  eight  p.m.,  in  order  that  the  same  men  may 
not  be  on  duty  at  the  same  hours  each  day. 


26  James  Braithwaite. 

shown  that  he  is  in  earnest  in  thinking  that  there  is 
some  danger,  by  having  come  on  deck  every  half-hour 
or  oftener  during  the  night.  There  he  is  again." 

Captain  Hassall  stood  before  us :  "  Cast  loose  and 
load  the  guns,  Mr.  Kandolph,  and  send  a  quarter- 
master to  serve  out  the  small  arms  to  the  watch," 
he  said  quietly  ;  "  there  has  been  a  sail  on  our  quarter 
for  some  minutes  past,  which  may  possibly  be  one  of 
the  convoy,  but  she  may  not.  Though  she  carries  but 
little  canvas  she  is  creeping  up  to  us." 

The  mate  and  I  while  talking  had  not  observed  the 
vessel  the  captain  pointed  out.  "  The  skipper  has 
sharp  eyes,"  said  the  first  mate,  as  he  parted  from  me 
to  obey  the  orders  he  had  received.  Our  crew  had 
been  frequently  exercised  at  the  guns.  Having  loaded 
and  run  them  out,  the  watch  came  tumbling  aft  to  the 
arm  chest.  Cutlasses  were  buckled  on  and  pistols 
quickly  loaded,  and  boarding  pikes  placed  along  the 
bulwarks  ready  for  use.  The  men  did  not  exactly 
understand  what  all  this  preparation  was  for,  but  that 
was  nothing  to  them.  It  signified  fighting,  and  most 
British  seamen  are  ready  for  that  at  any  time.  The 
captain  now  joined  me  in  my  walk.  "  It  is  better  to 
be  prepared,  though  nothing  come  of  it,  than  to  be 
taken  unawares,"  he  observed.  "It  is  the  principle  I 
have  gone  on,  and  as  it  is  a  sound  one,  I  intend  to 
continue  it  as  long  as  I  live."  I  agreed  with  him. 
We  walked  the  deck  together  for  twenty  minutes  or 
more,  engaged  in  conversation.  His  eye  was  constantly 
during  the  time  looking  over  our  starboard  quarter. 


The  Fight.  27 

Even  I  could  at  length  distinguish  the  dim  outline  of 
a  vessel  in  that  direction.  Gradually  the  sails  of  a 
ship  with  taut  raking  masts  became  visible. 

"  That  craft  is  not  one  of  our  convoy,  and  I  doubt 
that  she  comes  among  us  for  any  good  purpose," 
exclaimed  the  captain.  "  I  should  like  to  bring  the 
frigate  down  upon  the  fellow,  but  we  should  lose  our 
share  of  the  work,  and  I  think  that  we  can  manage 
him  ourselves.  Call  the  starboard  watch,  Mr.  Stubbs. 

The  men  soon  came  tumbling  up  from  below,  rather 
astonished  at  being  so  soon  called.  The  other  officers 
were  also  soon  on  deck.  Mr.  Randolph  agreed  that 
the  stranger,  which  hung  on  our  quarter  like  some  ill- 
omened  bird  of  prey,  had  an  exceedingly  suspicious 
appearance,  and  that  we  were  only  acting  with  ordinary 
prudence  in  being  prepared  for  him. 

"  The  fellow  won't  fire,  as  he  would  bring  the 
frigate  down  upon  him  if  he  did,"  observed  the  first 
mate;  "  he  will  therefore  either  run  alongside  in  the 
hopes  of  surprising  us,  and  taking  us"  by  boarding 
before  we  have  time  to  fire  a  pistol,  which  would 
attract  notice,  or,  should  the  wind  fall  light,  he  may 
hope  to  cut  us  out  with  his  boats." 

Eight  bells  struck.  We  could  hear  the  sound  borne 
faintly  over  the  waters  from  two  of  the  Indiarnen  to 
windward  of  us,  but  no  echo  came  from  the  deck  of 
the  stranger.  The  men  were  ordered  to  lie  down 
under  the  bulwarks  till  wanted.  Had  Captain  Hassall 
thought  fit,  he  might,  by  making  sail,  have  got  out  of 
danger,  but  he  had  hopes  that  instead  of  being  taken 


28  James  Braithwalle. 

by  the  stranger  he  might  take  him.  It  struck  me  that 
we  might  be  running  an  unwarrantable  risk  of  getting 
the  vessel  or  cargo  injured  by  allowing  ourselves  to  be 
attacked. 

"  Not  in  the  least,"  answered  the  captain ;  "  we 
serve  as  a  bait  to  the  fellow,  and  shall  benefit  directly 
by  catching  him.  If  we  were  to  give  the  alarm  he 
would  be  off  like  a  shot,  and  depend  on  it  he  has  a  fast 
pair  of  heels,  or  he  would  not  venture  in  among  us,  so 
that  the  frigate  would  have  little  chance  of  catchin^ 

O  O 

him." 

The  truth  is,  Captain  Ilassall  had  made  up  his  mind 
to  do  something  to  boast  of.  Orders  were  now  given 
to  the  men  to  remain  perfectly  silent ;  the  stranger 
was  drawing  closer  and  closer ;  grapnels  had  been  got 
ready  to  heave  on  board  him,  and  to  hold  him  fast 
should  it  be  found  advisable.  It  was,  however,  pos- 
sible that  his  crew  might  so  greatly  outnumber  ours 
that  this  would  prove  a  dangerous  proceeding.  As  to 
our  men,  they  knew  when  they  shipped  that  they 
might  have  to  fight,  and  they  all  now  seemed  in  good 
heart,  so  that  we  had  no  fear  on  the  score  of  their 
failing  us.  Our  officers  were  one  and  all  full  of  fight, 
though  each  exhibited  his  feelings  in  a  different  way. 
The  surgeon's  only  fear  seemed  to  be  that  the  stranger 
would  prove  a  friend  instead  of  a  foe,  and  that  there 
would  be  no  skirmish  after  all. 

"  She's  some  craft  one  of  the  other  vessels  has  fallen 
in  with,  and  she  has  just  joined  company  for  protec- 
tion," he  observed.  "  For  my  part  I  shall  turn  in,  as 


The  Fight.  29 

I  am  not  likely  to  be  wanted,  either  to  fight  or  to 
dress  wounds." 

JThe  wind,  which  had  much  fallen,  had  just  freshened 
up  again.  "  Whatever  he  is,  friend  or  foe,  here  he 
comes,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Randolph.  "  Steady,  lads ! " 
cried  the  captain,  "  don't  move  till  I  give  tho 
word." 

As  he  spoke  the  stranger  glided  up,  her  dark  sails 
appearing  to  tower  high  above  ours.  We  kept  on  our 
course  as  if  she  was  not  perceived.  With  one  sheer 
she  was  alongside,  there  was  a  crash  as  her  yards 
locked  with  ours,  and  at  the  same  moment  numerous 
dark  forms  appeared  in  her  rigging  and  nettings  about 
to  leap  on  to  our  deck.  "  Now  give  it  them  ! "  cried 
our  captain.  Our  men  sprang  to  their  feet  and  fired 
a  broadside  through  the  bulwarks  of  the  enemy.  The 
cries  and  shrieks  which  were  echoed  back  showed  the 
havoc  which  had  been  caused.  Shouts  and  blows,  the 
clash  of  cutlasses,  the  flash  of  pistols,  immediately 
followed.  I  felt  a  stinging  sensation  in  my  shoulder, 
but  was  too  excited  to  think  anything  of  it  as  I  stood, 
cutlass  in  hand,  ready  to  repel  our  assailants.  Many 
of  those  who  were  about  to  board  us  must  have  sprung 
back,  or  fallen  into  the  water ;  a  few  only  reached  our 
deck,  who  were  at  once  cut  down  by  our  people.  One 
man  sprang  close  to  where  I  stood.  I  was  about  to 
fire  my  pistol  at  him,  when  I  saw  that  he  was  un- 
armed, so  I  dragged  him  across  the  deck  out  of  harm's 
way.  The  next  instant  the  vessels  parted. 

"  Give  it  them,  my  lads  ! '  Load  and  fire  as  fast  as 


3O  James  Braithwaite. 

you  can,  or  they  will  escape  us,"  cried  the  captain  in 
an  excited  tone. 

"  Wing  them  !  wing  them  !  knock  away  their  spars, 
lads  ! "  He  next  ordered  the  helm  to  be  put  down, 
the  tacks  hauled  aboard,  and  chase  to  be  made  after 
our  flying  foe,  while  a  blue  light  was  burned  to  show 
our  locality,  and  to  prevent  the  frigate  from  firing 
into  us  when  she  followed,  as  we  hoped  she  would. 

We  had  no  doubt  that  the  enemy,  when  he  met  with 
the  warm  reception  we  had  given  him,  took  us  for  a 
man-of-war  corvette,  and  on  this  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  prudence  was  the  best  part  of  valour.  There 
could  be  little  doubt,  however,  that  he  would  soon 
discover  that  our  guns  were  of  no  great  size  ;  and  then 
possibly  he  might  turn  on  us,  and  give  us  more  of  his 
quality  than  would  be  desirable.  Still  we  kept  on 
peppering  away  at  him  as  fast  as  we  could,  in  the 
hopes  of  bringing  down  one  of  his  masts,  and  enabling 
the  frigate  to  come  up.  The  lights  of  the  convoy  were, 
however,  by  this  time  almost  lost  sight  of.  In  vain 
we  looked  out  for  a  signal  of  the  approach  of  the 
frigate.  No  gun  was  heard,  no  light  was  seen.  We 
were  afraid  of  losing  the  convoy  altogether,  and 
certainly  it  would  have  been  against  the  spirit  of  our 
instructions  to  have  attempted  to  deal  single-handed 
with  our  opponent.  Giving  the  enemy  a  parting  shot 
most  reluctantly,  Captain  Hassall  therefore  ordered 
the  helm  to  be  put  up,  and  we  ran  back  in  the  direc- 
tion in  which  we  expected  to  find  the  convoy. 


CHAPTER  III. 

"GOODBYE"  TO  THE  CONVOY. 

"  "1    TILLO  !  who  have  we  here  ?  "  I  heard  one  of  the 

-* — *-  mates  exclaim,  as  I  was  taking  a  last  look  of 
our  receding  antagonist.     "  Is  this  a  dead  man  ? " 

"  No,  not  entirely,  as  yet,"  said  a  voice  which  pro- 
ceeded, I  found,  from  a  person  lying  on  the  deck. 

I  remembered  my  prisoner,  and  ran  to  lift  him  up. 
He  recognised  my  voice.  "  If  it  hadn't  been  for  you 
I  should  have  been  dead  enough  by  this  time,"  he  said, 
getting  on  his  feet. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  I  asked,  "  a  friend  or  a  foe  ?  " 

"  A  friend ;  or  I  wouldn't  be  here  at  all,"  he  an- 
swered, in  a  tone  which  made  me  feel  certain  that  he 
spoke  the  truth. 

"  Well,  come  into  the  cabin,  and  tell  me  all  about 
the  matter,"  I  said ;  for  though  he  spoke  broad  Irish, 
I  saw  by  his  manner  that  he  was  above  the  rank  of  a 
common  seaman.  His  appearance  when  he  came  into 
the  light  justified  me  in  my  opinion. 

"  It's  just  this;  I  was  first  mate  of  a  fine  brig,  the 
Kathleen.  We  had  been  down  in  the  eastern  seas, 
and  away  into  the  Pacific,  over  to  America,  trading 


32  James  Braithwaite. 

for  some  time  with  the  natives,  and  bringing  hides, 
seal-skins,  and  sandal-wood  to  the  Chinamen ;  and  at 
last,  having  made  a  successful  voyage,  we  were  on  our 
homeward  passage,  when  yonder  piratical  craft  fell  in 
with  us.  Each  man  had  been  promised  a  share  of  the 
profits,  so  that  we  had  something  to  fight  for.  Fight 
our  poor  fellows  did,  till  there  was  scarcely  one  of 
them  left  unhurt.  We  none  of  us  thought  of  striking, 
though ;  but  at  last  the  rascally  pirates  ran  us  aboard, 
and  as  they  swarmed  along  our  decks  cut  down  every 
man  who  still  stood  on  his  legs.  How  I  escaped  with- 
out a  hurt  I  don't  know.  I  soon  had  other  troubles  ; 
for,  being  uninjured,  I  was  at  once  carried  aboard  our 
captor,  but  before  the  Frenchmen  could  secure  their 
prize,  she  blew  up,  with  every  soul  on  board,  and 
there  was  I  left  a  prisoner  alone.  I  almost  envied  the 
fate  of  our  crew.  The  loss  of  the  prize,  which  had 
cost  them  so  many  lives  and  so  much  trouble,  made 
the  Frenchmen  very  savage,  especially  their  captain, 
who  is  about  as  daring  a  villain  as  ever  ploughed  salt 
water.  This  determined  him,  when  he  fell  in  with 
your  convoy,  to  try  and  cut  one  of  them  out.  He 
fixed  on  you  because  you  were  of  a  size  which  he 
thought  he  could  tackle  easily,  and  he  hoped  to  take 
you  by  surprise.  Why  he  did  not  kill  me  outright  I 
do  not  know,  for  he  treated  me  like  a  brute  from  the 
moment  he  got  me  in  his  power ;  and  when  we  ran 
you  alongside  he  made  me  get  into  the  rigging  that  I 
might  be  shot  at ;  and  1  thought  to  myself,  The  safest 
plan  is  to  jump  aboard,  and  if  I  escape  a  knock  on 


"  Good-bye"  to  the  Convoy.  33 

the  head  I  may  stow  myself  away  before  any  one  sees 
me.  Such  is  the  end  of  my  history  at  present." 

The  name  of  the  vessel  which  had  attacked  us  was 
the  Mignonne,  privateer,  of  twenty  guns  and  eighty 
men,  Captain  Jules  La  Roche,  of  the  port  of  Brest,  we 
learned  from  the  stranger.  "  And  your  own  name,  my 
friend  ? "  I  asked,  not  feeling  very  sure  that  the  truth 
had  been  told  us.  "  Dennis  O'Carroll.  My  name  will 
tell  you  where  I  hail  from,  and  you  may  look  at  me 
as  a  specimen  of  one  of  the  most  unfortunate  men  in 
the  world,"  he  answered.  If  O'Carroll's  account  of  the 
size  of  our  antagonist  was  correct,  we  had  good  reason 
to  be  thankful  that  we  had  escaped  so  easily.  Our 
chief  anxiety  was  now  about  finding  the  fleet.  We 
had  no  business  to  have  separated  from  them;  for 
though  we  might  easily  have  run  out  to  the  East 
without  encountering  an  enemy,  yet,  should  any 
accident  have  happened  to  us,  our  insurers  might 
have  considered  our  charter  invalidated,  and  Garrard, 
Janrin  and  Co.  would  have  been  the  sufferers. 

We  were  much  relieved  by  seeing  a  blue  light 
suddenly  burst  forth  in  the  darkness.  It  came  from 
the  deck  of  the  frigate,  which  had  stood  after  us  to 
ascertain  the  cause  of  the  firing.  Our  adventure  had 
the  effect  of  keeping  the  convoy  much  closer  together ; 
for  no  one  could  tell  when  Captain  La  Roche  would 
take  it  into  his  head  to  pounce  down  upon  us  and 
pick  up  a  stray  bird,  should  the  frigate  be  at  a  distance. 
He  would  have  had  no  chance,  however,  with  the 
Indiamen,  whose  officers  were  in  a  very  combative 

3 


34  James  Braithwaile. 

mood.  Not  long  before  a  very  gallant  action  had  been 
performed  by  a  squadron  of  them  in  the  Eastern  seas 
— indeed,  no  country  ever  possessed  a  body  of  officers 
in  her  mercantile  marine  equal  to  those  of  the  Honor- 
able East  India  Company. 

I  heard  all  about  the  action  on  board  the  Cuffnells. 
One  morning,  when  I  went  on  deck,  I  found  that  there 
was  what  might  well  be  called  a  calm ;  the  sails  of  the 
ships  hung  up  and  down  the  masts  without  moving, 
except  every  now  and  then,  as  they  slowly  rolled  from 
side  to  side  to  give  a  loud  thundering  clap,  and  once 
more  to  subside  into  sullen  silence.  The  sea,  smooth 
as  a  mirror,  shone  like  burnished  silver,  its  surface 
ever  and  anon  broken  by  the  fin  of  some  monster  of 
the  deep,  or  by  a  covey  of  flying  fish,  which  would 
dart  through  the  air  till,  their  wings  dried  by  the  sun, 
they  fell  helpless  again  into  their  native  element. 

Looking  round  I  recognised  the  Cuffnells  not  far  off, 
and,  remembering  my  promise,  asked  for  a  boat  to  go 
on  board.  I  was  received  in  the  most  friendly  manner, 
and  was  asked  to  stop  to  tiffin  and  to  dinner,  if  I 
could  remain  as  long. 

"  Yes,  sir,  he  richly  deserved  it ;  every  rupee  he  got 
— that's  my  opinion,"  observed  a  yellow-faced  gentle- 
man in  nankeens  and  white  waistcoat,  sitting  at  the 
other  end  of  the  table.  "  I  was  on  board  the  Earl 
Camden  on  my  way  home,  and  I  know  that,  including 
public  and  private  investments,  the  cargoes  of  our 
ships  could  not  have  been  of  less  value  than  eight 
millions  of  pounds  sterling.  We  had  fifteen  Indiamen 


"  Good-bye"  to  the  Convoy.  35 

and  a  dozen  country  ships,  with  a  Portuguese  craft 
and  a  brig,  the  Ganges ;  Captain  Dance,  our  captain, 
was  commodore.  This  fleet  sailed  from  Canton  on  the 
31st  January,  1801.  After  sighting  Pulo  Auro,  near 
the  Straits  of  Malacca,  the  Royal  George,  one  of  the 
Indiamen,  made  the  signal  for  four  strange  sail  in  the 
south-west.  On  this  the  commodore  directed  four  of 
the  Indiamen  to  go  down  and  examine  them.  Lieu- 
tenant Fowler,  of  the  navy,  who  was  a  passenger  on 
board  the  Earl  Camden,  offered  to  go  also  in  the 
Ganges  to  inspect  the  strangers  more  nearly.  It  was 
a  time  of  no  small  anxiety,  you  may  be  sure.  The 
Ganges  was  a  fast  sailer,  and  before  long  Lieutenant 
Fowler  came  back,  with  the  information  that  the 
squadron  in  sight  was  French,  and  consisted  of  a 
line-of-battle  ship,  three  frigates,  and  a  brig.  The 
question  was  now,  Should  we  fight  or  not  ?  If  we 
attempted  to  make  our  es'cape  the  enemy  would  pursue 
us,  and  very  likely  pick  us  off  in  detail.  Our  safest 
plan  was  to  put  a  bold  face  on  the  matter,  and  show 
that  we  were  prepared  for  fighting.  This  was  our 
gallant  commodore's  opinion,  and  all  the  other  captains 
agreed  with  him,  especially  Captain  Timins,  of  the 
I^oyal  George,  who  acted  as  his  second  in  command. 
The  look-out  ships  were  now  recalled  by  signal,  and 
the  line  of  battle  formed  in  close  order.  As  soon  as 
the  enemy  could  fetch  in  our  wake  they  put  about, 
and  we  kept  on  our  course  under  easy  sail.  At  near 
sunset  they  were  close  up  with  our  rear,  which  it 
seemed  as  if  they  were  about  to  attack.  On  seeing 


36  James  Braithwaite. 

this  Captain  Dance  prepared  with  other  ships  to 
hasten  to  the  assistance  of  that  part  of  our  line.  Just 
as  the  day  was  closing,  however,  the  French,  not  liking 
our  looks,  and  unwilling  to  risk  a  night  engagement, 
hauled  their  wind.  Lieutenant  Fowler  was  now  sent 
in  the  Ganges  to  station  the  country  ships  on  our  lee- 
bow,  by  which  means  we  were  between  them  and  the 
enemy.  He  brought  back  some  volunteers,  whose 
assistance  was  acceptable.  We  lay  to  all  night — our 
men  at  their  quarters.  At  daybreak  of  the  15th  we 
saw  the  enemy  also  lying  to,  and  so,  hoisting  our 
colours,  we  offered  them  battle  if  they  chose  to  come 
down.  At  nine,  finding  that  they  would  not  accept 
our  challenge,  we  formed  the  order  of  sailing,  and 
steered  our  course  under  easy  sail.  The  enemy  on 
this  filled  their  sails  and  edged  down  towards  us. 
Now  was  the  time  that  the  mettle  of  our  merchant 
skippers  was  to  be  tried.  Did  they  flinch  ? — Not  a 
bit  of  it !  The  commodore,  finding  that  the  enemy 
proposed  to  attack  and  cut  off  our  rear,  made  the 
signal  for  the  fleet  to  tack  and  bear  down  on  him,  and 
engage  in  succession — the  Royal  George  being  the 
leading  ship,  the  Ganges  next,  and  then  the  Earl 
Camden.  This  manoauvre  was  beautifully  performed, 
and  we  stood  towards  the  Frenchmen  under  a  press  of 
sail.  The  enemy  then  formed  in  a  very  close  line 
and  opened  fire  on  the  headmost  ships,  which  was  not 
returned  till  they  got  much  closer.  What  do  you 
think  of  it  ?  Two  merchantmen  and  a  brig  engaging 
a  line-of-battle  ship,  two  frigates,  and  two  other  ships 


"  Good-bye  "  to  the  Convoy.  37 

of  war — for  the  rest  of  the  fleet  had  not  yet  got  up. 
The  Royal  George  bore  the  brunt  of  the  action,  for 
Captain  Timins  took  his  ship  as  close  to  the  enemy  as 
they  would  let  him,  and  the  Ganges  and  Earl  Camden 
opened  their  fire  as  soon  as  their  guns  could  take 
effect.  Before,  however,  any  of  the  other  ships  could 
get  into  action  the  Frenchmen  hauled  their  wind  and 
stood  away  to  the  eastward,  under  all  the  sail  they 
could  set.  On  this,  at  about  two  p.m.,  the  signal  was 
made  for  a  general  chase,  and  away  went  the  fleet  of 
merchantmen  after  the  men-of-war.  We  pursued  them 
for  two  hours,  when  the  commodore,  fearing  that  we 
might  be  led  too  far  from  the  mouth  of  the  straits, 
made  the  signal  to  tack,  and  in  the  evening  we  anchored 
ready  to  pass  through  the  straits  in  the  morning.  We 
afterwards  found  that  the  squadron  we  had  engaged 
was  that  of  Admiral  Linois,  consisting  of  the  Marengo, 
84  guns,  the  Belle  Poule  and  Semillante,  heavy  frigates, 
a*. corvette  of  28  guns,  and  a  Batavian  brig  of  18  guns. 
That  the  Frenchmen  either  took  some  of  our  big  ships 
for  men-of-war,  or  fancied  that  some  men-of-war  were 
near  at  hand  and  ready  to  come  to  our  assistance,  is 
very  probable,  but  that  does  not  detract  from  the 
gallantry  of  the  action.  The  Patriotic  Fund  voted 
swords  and  plate  to  Captain  Dance  and  other  officers, 
and  the  East  India  Company  presented  him  with 
2,000  guineas  and  a  piece  of  plate  worth  500,  and 
Captain  Timins  1,000  guineas  and  a  piece  of  plate, 
and  all  the  other  captains  and  officers  and  men  rewards 
in  plate  or  money,  the  whole  amounting  to  not  less 


38  James  Braithwaite. 

than  50,000.  But  they  deserved  it,  sir — they  deserved 
it ;  and  I  suspect  that  Admiral  Linois  and  his  officers 
must  have  pulled  out  the  best  part  of  their  hair  when 
they  discovered  the  prize  they  had  lost.  Besides  the 
reward  I  have  mentioned,  Commodore  Dance  was 
ver}'-  properly  knighted.  In  its  result,"  continued  the 
speaker,  "  the  action  was  most  important." 

"But  it  was  scarcely  so  annoying  to  the  enemy 
as  another  in  which  some  Indiamen  were  engaged 
in  1800,"  observed  a  military  officer,  laying  down 
his  knife  and  fork,  and  wiping  his  moustache. 
"  I  was  on  my  passage  out  on  board  the  Exeter,  one 
of  the  Indiamen  of  1,200  tons,  commanded  by  Captain 
Meriton.  We  had  in  company  the  Bombay  Castle, 
Coutts,  and  Neptune,  of  the  same  tonnage,  besides 
other  ships  under  the  convoy  of  the  Belligeux, 
of  64  guns,  Captain  Bulteel.  A  French  squadron  of 
three  large  frigates,  it  appeared,  after  committing  a 
good  deal  of  mischief  on  the  coast  of  Africa,  had 
crossed  over  to  Rio  de  la  Plata  to  refit,  and  had  just 
again  put  to  sea,  when,  early  in  the  morning,  they 
made  out  a  part,  and  some  of  the  lighter  ships, 
probably,  of  our  convoy.  Hoping  to  pick  up  some 
prizes,  the  Frenchmen  stood  towards  us,  and  we,  quite 
ready  for  the  encounter,  bore  down  towards  them. 
No  sooner,  however,  did  the  Frenchmen  see  our  big 
China  ships,  with  their  two  tiers  of  ports  and  warlike 
look,  than  they  bore  up  under  a  press  of  sail,  and  by 
signal  separated.  While  the  Belligeux  steered  for  the 
largest  of  the  French  ships,  she  signalled  to  the  India- 


"  Good-bye  "  to  the  Convoy.  39 

men  I  have  mentioned  to  proceed  in  chase  of  the 
others,  we  and  the  Bombay  Castle  of  one  of  them,  the 
Medee,  and  the  other  two  of  the  Franchise.  We,  at 
the  time,  were  nearer  the  Medee  than  was  the  Bombay 
Castle,  and  we  also  sailed  better.  The  chase  was  a 
long  one,  but  we  kept  the  enemy  in  sight,  and  it  was 
near  midnight  before  we  came  up  with  her.  The 
Bombay  Castle  was  a  long  way  astern,  and  the  frigate 
might  have  handled  us  very  severely,  if  not  knocked 
us  to  pieces,  before  she  could  have  come  up  to  our 
assistance.  Captain  Meriton  was  not  a  man  to  be 
daunted.  With  the  decks  lighted  and  all  our  ports 
up,  he  ran  alongside  the  Frenchman — 'Strike,  mon- 
sieur, to  a  superior  force,  to  his  Britannic  Majesty's 
ship  Thunderaboo,'  he  shouted  out.  'Strike,  I  say, 

or '     We  did  not  know  whether  the  Frenchman 

would  reply  with  a  broadside,  which  would  have 
greatly  staggered  us.  Instead  of  that  the  Frenchman 
politely  replied  that  he  yielded  to  the  fortune  of  war. 
'Come  aboard  immediately,'  was  the  order  our  bold 
captain  next  gave.  Not  to  be  surpassed  by  the 
Frenchman,  we  had  a  guard  ready  to  assist  the  captain 
up  our  high  side.  With  the  profoundest  of  bows  he 
delivered  his  'sword,  and  he  was  then  asked  into  the 
cabin.  Immediately  we  had  him  safe,  keeping  the 
frigate  under  our  guns,  we  sent  armed  boats  on  board, 
and  brought  away  part  of  her  people.  When  the 
Bombay  Castle  came  up  she  received  the  remainder, 
and  we  then  placed  a  prize  crew  on  board.  Meantime 
the  suspicions  of  the  French  captain  had  been  aroused. 


40  James  Brailhwaite. 

He  had  observed  the  small  size  of  our  guns.  The 
appearance  of  the  Indiaman's  cuddy  and  the  gentlemen 
and  lady  passengers — not  that  there  were  many  of  the 
latter — must  have  raised  curious  doubts  in  his  mind. 
Suddenly  he  jumped  up  and  asked  to  what  ship  he 
had  struck. 

" '  To  the  Honorable  East  India  Company's  ship 
Exeter,'  answered  Captain  Meriton,  with  a  bow  which 
beat  the  Frenchman's. 

" '  What,  to  a  merchantman  ? '  exclaimed  the  French- 
man, with  a  look  of  dismay. 

" '  Yes,  monsieur,  to  a  merchantman,'  said  Captain 
Meriton,  with  a  gentle  smile,  which  it  would  have 
been  difficult  to  repress. 

"  '  It  is  not  fair ;  it  is  vile  !  it  is  a  cheat ! '  exclaimed 
the  Frenchman,  beginning  to  stalk  up  and  down  the 
cabin,  to  grind  his  teeth,  and  to  pull  out  his  hair.  '  I 
say  it  is  a  cheat ;  give  me  back  my  ship,  send  on  board 
my  men,  and  I  will  fight  you  bravely.  You  will  soon 
see  if  you  take  me  again.' 

" '  I  am  ready  to  acknowledge  that  you  would  very 
likely  take  me,  as  I  should  certainly  deserve  to  be 
taken  for  my  folly  in  agreeing  to  your  proposal.  You 
will  excuse  me  if  I  therefore  decline  it/  was  the 
answer.  Though  we  pitied  the  feelings  of  the  poor 
man,  it  was  very  difficult  to  keep  our  countenance  as 
he  uttered  his  expressions  of  indignation  and  anger. 
He  did  not  recover  his  spirits  till  his  frigate  was  out 
of  sight." 

This    anecdote    was    followed    by   several    others. 


"  Good-bye"  to  the  Convoy.  41 

Those  were  pleasant  hours  I  spent  on  board  the  old 
Indiaman.  My  visits  to  her  were  indeed  an  agreeable 
change  from  the  sea-life  routine  of  my  own  ship.  I 
was  amused  by  the  progress  in  intimacy  made  among 
themselves  by  the  younger  portion  of  the  passengers 
since  I  first  went  aboard  at  Spithead.  The  captain 
confided  to  me  the  fact  that  it  cost  him  much  more 
trouble  to  maintain  discipline  in  the  cuddy  than 
among  his  crew.  "  What  with  my  young  ladies  and 
my  chronometers,  it  is  as  much  as  an  elderly  gentle- 
man can  well  accomplish  to  keep  all  things  straight," 
he  observed,  glancing  at  several  young  couples  who 
were  pacing  the  deck,  the  gentlemen  being  cadets  or 
writers.  "  The  friends  of  those  girls  now — nice  young 
creatures  they  are  too, — have  sent  them  out  fully 
expecting  that  they  would  marry  nabobs  or  colonels 
at  least,  and  in  spite  of  all  my  precautions,  they  have 
gone  and  engaged  themselves  to  those  young  fellows 
who  have  only  just  got  their  feet  on  the  ratlines.  Small 
blame  to  the  gentlemen,  however,  for  a  more  charming 
consignment  I  never  had,  only  the  more  charming  the 
more  difficult  to  manage." 

While  the  calms  lasted,  I  paid  daily  visits  to  my 
friends,  but  at  length  a  breeze  springing  up  we  pro- 
ceeded on  our  voyage,  as  1  must  with  my  narrative,  or 
I  may  chance  not  to  get  to  the  end  of  it.  We  called 
off  the  beautiful  island  of  Madeira,  with  its  picturesque 
town  of  Funchal — more  attractive  on  the  outside  than 
within ;  we  procured,  however,  a  welcome  supply  of 
fresh  meat,  vegetables,  and  fruits.  On  our  crossing 


42  James  Braithwaite. 

the  line,  Neptune  and  his  Tritons  came  on  board  and 
played  their  usual  pranks.  Jack  little  thinks  that  on 
such  occasions  he  is  performing  a  very  ancient  cere- 
mony, practised  by  those  bold  voyagers,  the  Cartha- 
ginians; to  them  there  is  little  doubt  that  the  secret 
of  the  mariner's  compass  was  known.  On  sailing 
between  the  Pillars  of  Hercules  into  the  wide  Atlantic 
they  were  visited,  not  by  Hercules  himself,  but  by  his 
representative  priests,  to  whom  they  were  wont  to 
deliver  certain  votive  offerings  that  the  propitiated 
divinity  might  protect  them  on  their  perilous  voyage. 
The  custom  of  performing  ceremonies  of  a  like  de- 
scription was  continued  to  later  times  by  the  mariners 
of  the  Levant,  Greece,  and  Italy,  long  after  the  temple 
of  Hercules  was  in  ruins.  When  they,  and  those 
northern  seamen  who  had  learned  the  scientific  parts 
of  navigation  from  them,  extended  their  voyages  across 
the  line,  they  continued  the  practices,  substituting 
Neptune  for  Hercules,  and  adding  a  few  caricatures  to 
suit  their  own  more  barbarous  taste. 

Having  crossed  the  line,  and  there  being  no  longer 
much  risk  of  our  meeting  the  cruisers  of  the  enemy, 
Captain  Hassall,  who  had  long  fumed  at  being  kept 
back  by  the  slow  sailing  of  our  companions,  determined 
to  part  company.  We  accordingly  hoisted  our  colours, 
gave  a  salute  of  nine  guns  in  acknowledgment  of  the 
civilities  we  had  received,  and  under  all  sail  soon  ran 
the  dignified  moving  convoy  out  of  sight.  Light  and 
contrary  winds  and  calms  kept  us  so  long  under  the 
sun  of  the  tropics  that  the  seams  of  our  decks  began 


"  Good-bye  "  to  the  Convoy.  43 

to  open,  and,  to  get  them  caulked  and  other  repairs 
executed,  we  bore  up  for  St.  Salvador  on  the  coast 
of  Brazil,  belonging  to  Portugal.  We  saluted  the  fort 
on  entering,  and  paid  every  necessary  respect  to  the 
authorities ;  but  we  soon  found  that  they  either 
suspected  our  character,  or  were  not  inclined,  for  some 
other  reason,  to  treat  us  in  a  friendly  spirit.  A  guard 
was  put  on  board,  and  we  were  told  that  neither 
officers  nor  crew  must  leave  the  ship. 

We  were  still  ignorant  of  the  cause  of  this  treatment, 
when  the  master  of  an  English  whaler  came  alongside 
with  his  men  armed  to  the  teeth.  He  told  us  that 
he  had  a  letter  of  marque,  and  that  on  the  strength 
of  it,  having  fallen  in  with  a  Spanish  merchantman 
some  way  to  the  south-west,  he  had  chased  and 
captured  her,  and  found  a  large  number  of  dollars  on 
board.  Having  come  into  St.  Salvador  he  found  there 
no  less  than  seven  other  Spanish  vessels,  the  masters 
and  crews  of  which  were  favoured  by  the  Portuguese, 
and  he  heard  that  they  threatened  to  follow  him  out 
and  capture  him  and  his  prize.  Our  arrival  had 
turned  the  scales  in  his  favour,  and  he  offered  to 
remain  if  we  would  accompany  him  out  when  we  were 
ready.  This  Captain  Hassall  readily  promised  to  do. 
As  the  whaler  was  strongly  manned,  a  good-sized  crew 
had  been  put  on  board  the  prize,  and  thus  our  three 
vessels  were  somewhat  of  a  match  for  the  Spaniards, 
we  hoped.  At  length  the  Governor  of  the  place 
ordered  the  officers  of  the  ship  to  appear  before  him. 
Accordingly  Captain  Hassall,  the  first  mate,  and  I, 


44  James  Braithwaite. 

accompanied  by  Dennis  O'Carroll,  who  seemed  to  be 
able  to  speak  every  language  under  the  sun  except 
pure  English,  as  interpreter,  went  on  shore  under  an 
escort.  The  Governor,  a  fat,  swarthy  personage  in 
the  full  dress  uniform  of  a  general,  received  us  in  a 
haughty  manner,  and  cross-questioned  us  in  the  most 
minute  and  tedious  manner.  Dennis  somewhat 
puzzled  him  by  the  style  of  his  answers,  which  were 
anything  but  literal  translations  of  what  Captain 
Hassall  said.  The  result,  however,  was  favourable, 
and  we  were  allowed  to  go  wherever  we  chose  about 
the  city,  and  to  get  the  necessary  repairs  of  our  ships 
executed,  and  to  obtain  all  the  stores  and  provisions 
we  required. 

Much  relieved,  we  made  our  bows,  and  then  took  a 
turn  through  the  place  before  going  on  board.  I  was 
much  struck  with  the  number  of  churches,  of  priests 
and  monks,  and  black  slaves,  the  latter  habited  in  the 
most  scanty  garments,  and  the  former  perambulating 
the  streets  in  parties,  dressed  up  in  the  richest  attire 
of  coloured  silks  and  gold,  with  banners  and  crosses, 
and  statues  of  saints,  or  representations  of  events 
mentioned  in  the  Scriptures,  the  figures  as  large  as 
life.  A  large  number  of  friars  in  black,  or  brown,  or 
grey  gowns  of  coarse  cloth,  with  ropes  round  their 
waists,  were  going  about  two  and  two,  with  small 
figures  of  saints  on  money  boxes.  The  figures  they 
literally  thrust  into  the  faces  of  the  passers-by  to  be 
kissed.  We  saw  no  one  refuse  to  drop  a  coin  into 
the  box. 


"  Good-bye  "  to  the  Convoy.  45 

"  These  must  be  a  very  religiously  disposed  people,' 
I  observed  to  Dennis. 

"  If  you  knew  what  I  do  you  wouldn't  say  that,"  he 
answered.  "  They're  fond  of  sinning,  and  they  are 
ready  to  pay  for  it.  The  reason  that  all  these  priests 
and  monks  flourish  is  this — they  have  succeeded  in 
teaching  the  people  that  they  can  buy  pardon  for  all 
the  sins  they  commit.  The  only  scrap  of  real  religion 
the  poor  people  are  allowed  to  possess  is  the  know- 
ledge that  sin  must  be  punished  if  not  forgiven. 
Instead,  however,  of  showing  them  how  forgiveness 
can  alone  be  obtained,  they  make  them  believe  that 
money  can  buy  it  through  the  prayers  of  the  saints ; 
but  when  they've  got  the  money  in  their  own  pockets, 
it's  very  little  trouble  they  give  the  saints  about  the 
matter  at  all." 

"How  did  you  learn  all  this,  Mr.  O'Carroll?"  I 
asked. 

"  Just  because  I  believed  it  all  myself,"  he  answered 
quickly.  "I'll  tell  you  some  day  how  I  came  to  find 
out  that  I  had  been  sailing  on  a  wrong  tack ;  but  you 
think  me  now  a  harum-scarum  Irishman,  and  I'm 
afraid  to  talk  about  the  matter." 

On  our  way  we  passed  through  the  dock-yard, 
where  a  fifty-gun  ship  was  building,  and  several 
smaller  vessels  of  war.  We  were  looking  at  one  re- 
pairing alongside  the  quay,  when  I  saw  O'Carroll  start, 
and  look  eagerly  at  the  people  on  board. 

"That's  her,  I'm  certain  of  it !"  he  exclaimed.  "  She 
has  got  into  trouble  since  she  parted  from  you,  or  you 


46  James  Braitkwaite. 

may  have  done  her  more  harm  than  you  thought  for, 
and  she  has  put  in  here  with  false  papers  and  under 
false  colours  to  repair  damages." 

"  What  vessel  do  you  mean  ? "  I  asked. 

"  Why,  the  Mignonne  to  be  sure,  or  by  what  other 
name  she  may  go,"  he  answered.  "Probably  she  is 
now  the  San  Domingo,  or  some  other  saint  under 
Spanish  colours,  and  hailing  from  some  port  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Horn.  Our  friend,  Captain  Brown, 
of  the  whaler,  had  better  make  haste,  or  she  will  be 
after  him  and  his  prize." 

"  Why  not  after  us  then  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Because  Captain  La  Roche  has  had  enough  of  your 
quality,  I  suspect,"  he  replied.  "  He  is  a  fellow  who 
only  fights  when  he  is  sure  of  booty,  and  though  I 
daresay  that  he  would  like  to  send  you  to  the  bottom, 
he  would  not  go  out  of  his  way  either  for  revenge  or 
glory." 

To  satisfy  ourselves  we  examined  the  stranger  as 
narrowly  as  we  could,  and  O'Carroll  was  thoroughly 
convinced  that  he  was  right  in  his  suspicions.  While 
thus  employed  a  man  appeared  at  the  companion 
watch. 

"  Why,  there  is  La  Roche  himself ! "  he  cried  out. 
Scarcely  had  he  spoken  than  a  bullet  whizzed  by  his 
head.  "  That  settles  the  matter,"  he  said,  quite  coolly. 
"  Let  us  be  out  of  this,  or  he  will  be  following  up  this 
compliment."  We  hurried  out  of  the  dockyard.  I 
proposed  making  a  complaint  to  the  authorities. 

"And  be   detained   here  several  weeks  and  gain 


"  Good- dye"  to  the  Convoy.  47 

nothing  in  the  end,"  he  answered,  shaking  his  head. 
"  My  advice  is,  get  ready  for  sea  as  fast  as  you  can, 
and  if  you  wish  to  serve  Captain  Brown  see  him  safe 
out  of  sight  of  land  before  the  Mignonne  can  follow. 
We'll  keep  a  watch  on  him  in  the  meantime,  or  he'll 
play  us  some  trick  or  other.  Above  all  things,  don't 
be  on  shore  after  dark.  La  Roche  has  plenty  of  friends 
here,  depend  on  that,  and  he  will  find  means  to  pick 
us  off  if  he  thinks  that  we  are  likely  to  inconvenience 
him." 

Following  O'Carroll's  suggestions  I  immediately  re- 
turned on  board.  Captain  Hassall  at  first  scarcely 
credited  the  account  we  gave  him — indeed,  he  did  not, 
I  saw,  put  thorough  confidence  in  O'Carroll.  However, 
he  agreed  that  we  ought  to  warn  Captain  Brown,  and 
that  it  would  be  well  for  us  also  to  sail  before  the 
supposed  privateer  was  ready  for  sea. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  "  BARBARA  "  ON  FIRE. 

"VTT  E  had  got  our  decks  caulked,  our  rigging  set  up, 
*  *  and  other  repairs  finished,  when,  one  forenoon, 
O'Carroll,  who  had  at  length  ventured  on  shore,  re- 
turned in  a  great  hurry  with  the  information  that 
there  was  much  bustle  on  board  the  Mignorme,  and 
that  her  people  were  evidently  hurrying  to  the  utmost 
to  get  ready  for  sea.  Had  Captain  Hassall  followed 
his  own  inclinations,  he  would  have  given  the  piratical 
Frenchman  the  opportunity  of  trying  his  strength  with 
the  Barbara ;  but  as  that  would  have  been  decidedly 
objected  to  by  Garrard,  Janrin  and  Co.,  we,  with  the 
whaler  and  her  prize,  and  another  English  vessel, 
cleared  out  as  secretly  as  we  could,  and,  with  a  fair 
breeze,  put  to  sea.  We  had  to  lay  to  for  the  other 
vessels,  and  after  they  had  joined  us  Captain  Brown 
hailed  us,  to  say  that  the  look-out  from  his  maintop- 
gallant  masthead  had  seen  a  large  ship  coming  out  of 
the  harbour  under  all  sail,  and  that  he  thought  it 

o 

possible  she  might  be  the  Mignonne.  As,  however, 
a  mist  had  soon  afterwards  arisen,  she  was  concealed 
from  sight.  We  promised,  however,  to  stand  to  the 
northward  with  Captain  Brown  during  the  night,  and 


The  "  Barbara  "  on  Fire.  49 

in  the  morning,  should  no  enemy  be  in  sight,  let  him 
and  his  consorts  proceed  on  their  voyage  homewards, 
while  we  kept  on  our  course  for  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope.  Nothing  could  have  given  our  people  greater 
satisfaction  than  to  have  found  the  Frenchman  close 
to  us  at  daybreak.  I  spent  most  of  the  night  in 
writing  letters  home,  to  send  by  the  whaler.  When 
morning  dawned,  not  a  sail,  except  our  own  little 
squadron,  was  to  be  seen.  We  kept  company  till 
noon,  and  then,  with  mutual  good  wishes,  stood  away 
on  our  respective  courses.  We  hoped  that  the  Mlg- 
nonne  would  follow  the  Barbara  rather  than  our 
friends,  should  she  really  have  sailed  in  chase  of  any 
of  us.  The  possibility  of  our  being  pursued  created 
much  excitement  on  board.  At  early  dawn,  till  the 
evening  threw  its  mantle  over  the  ocean,  we  had 
volunteers  at  the  mastheads  looking  out  for  a  strange 
sail.  At  the  end  of  four  or  five  days  all  expectation 
of  again  meeting  with  the  Mignonne  ceased,  somewhat 
to  the  disappointment  of  most  of  the  crew,  who  were 
wonderfully  full  of  fight.  Having  beaten  the  French- 
man once,  they  were  very  sure  that  they  could  beat 
him  again.  We  had  other  good  reasons  for  having 
our  eyes  about  us — first,  to  avoid  in  time  any  foe  too 
big  to  tackle;  and  then,  as  we  had  the  right  to  capture 
any  Spanish  vessels  we  might  fall  in  with,  to  keep  a 
look-out  for  them.  However,  the  ocean  is  very  broad, 
and  though  we  chased  several  vessels,  they  all  proved 
to  be  Portuguese.  After  sighting  the  little  rocky  and 
then  uninhabited  island  of  Tristan  D'Acunha,  we  made 

4 


50  James  Braithimite. 

the   Cape  of  Good   Hope,  and,  entering  Table  Bay, 
dropped  our  anchor  off  Capetown. 

The  colony  had  lately  been  recaptured  from  the 
Dutch  by  Sir  David  Baird  and  Sir  Home  Popham, 
with  a  well-appointed  force  of  5,000  men.  The  two 
armies  met  on  the  plain  at  the  foot  of  Table  Mountain  ; 
but  scarcely  had  the  action  been  commenced  by  General 
Ferguson,  at  the  head  of  the  Highland  brigade,  than 
the  wise  Hollanders,  considering  that  the  English  were 
likely  to  prove  as  good  masters  as  the  French,  retreated, 
and  soon  after  offered  to  capitulate,  which  they  were 
allowed  to  do  with  all  the  honours  of  war.  The  Dutch, 
French,  and  English  were  now  living  on  very  friendly 
terms  with  each  other.  The  Cape  colony,  with  its 
clean,  well-laid-out  English  capital,  its  Table  Moun- 
tain and  Table  Cloth,  its  vineyards,  its  industrious 
and  sturdy  Boers,  its  Hottentot  slaves,  and  its  warlike 
Kaffirs,  is  too  well  known  to  require  a  description.  I 
did  a  good  deal  of  trading — a  matter  of  private  interest 
to  Garrard,  Janrin  and  Co.,  so  I  will  not  speak  of  it. 
The  ship  was  put  to  rights,  we  enjoyed  ourselves  very 
much  on  shore,  and  were  once  more  at  sea.  Strong 
easterly  winds  drove  us  again  into  the  Atlantic,  and 
when  we  had  succeeded  in  beating  back  to  the  latitude 
of  Capetown,  the  weather,  instead  of  improving,  looked 
more  threatening  than  ever.  I  had  heard  of  the  pecu- 
liar swell  off  the  Cape,  but  I  had  formed  no  conception 
of  the  immense  undulations  I  now  beheld.  They  came 
rolling  on  slow  and  majestically,  solid-looking,  like 
mountains  of  malachite,  heaving  up  our  stout  ship  as 


The  "Barbara"  on  Fire.  51 

if  she  were  a  mere  chip  of  deal  cast  on  the  face  of  the 
ocean.  We  were  alone  on  the  waste  of  waters,  no 
other  objects  in  sight  besides  these  huge  green  masses, 
which,  as  the  clouds  gathered,  were  every  instant 
becoming  of  a  darker  and  more  leaden  hue. 

"  We  shall  get  a  breeze  soon,  and  I  hope  that  it 
will  be  from  the  right  quarter  for  us,"  I  remarked  to 
Benjie  Stubbs,  the  second  mate,  who  had  charge  of 
the  deck. 

"  We  shall  have  a  breeze,  and  more  than  we  want, 
Pusser"  (intended  for  Purser,  a  name  Benjie  always 
persisted  in  giving  me),  he  answered,  glancing  round 
the  horizon.  "  You've  not  seen  anything  like  this 
before,  eh  ?  A  man  must  come  to  sea  to  know  what's 
what.  There  are  strange  sights  on  the  ocean." 

"  So  I  have  always  heard,"  I  remarked. 

"  Yes,  you'd  have  said  so  if  you  had  been  on  deck 
last  night  in  the  middle  watch,"  he  observed,  in  a 
low  tone. 

"  How  so  !  what  happened  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Why,  just  this,"  he  answered.  "  There  was  not 
more  wind  than  there  is  now,  and  the  sky  was  clear, 
with  a  slice  of  a  moon  shining  brightly,  when,  just  as 
I  was  looking  along  its  wake,  what  did  I  see  but  a 
full-rigged,  old-fashioned  ship,  under  all  sail,  bearing 
down  towards  us  at  a  tremendous  rate.  When  she 
got  within  a  couple  of  hundred  fathoms  of  us  she 
hove-to  and  lowered  a  boat.  I  guessed  well  enough 
what  she  was,  so,  running  forward,  I  cast  loose  one  of 
the  guns  and  pointed  at  the  boat.  They  aboard  the 


5  2  James  Braithwaite. 

stranger  knew  what  I  was  after ;  the  boat  was  hoisted 
in  again,  and  away  she  went  right  in  the  teeth  of  the 
wind." 

"  Did  you  see  this  last  night  ? "  I  asked,  looking  the 
mate  in  the  face.  "  I  should  like  to  speak  to  some  of 
the  men  who  saw  it  at  the  same  time." 

"  I  don't  say  all  saw  it.  You  may  ask  those  who 
did,  and  you  won't  get  a  different  story  from  what 
I've  told  you,"  he  replied. 

"  And  what  think  you  was  the  ship  you  saw  ? "  I 
asked. 

" The  Flying  Dutchman*  of  course,  and  no  manner 
of  doubt  about  the  matter,"  he  answered  promptly. 
"  If  you  had  been  on  the  look-out  you  would  have 
seen  him  as  clearly  as  I  did.  Remember,  Pusser,  if 
you  ever  fall  in  with  him,  don't  let  him  come  aboard, 
that's  all.  He'll  send  you  to  the  bottom  as  surely  as 
if  a  red-hot  shot  was  to  be  dropped  into  the  hold." 

"  Who  is  this  Flying  Dutchman  ?  "  I  asked,  wishing 
to  humour  Benjie  by  pretending  to  believe  his  story. 

"  Why,  as  to  that,  there  are  two  opinions,"  he  an- 
swered, as  if  he  was  speaking  of  authenticated  facts. 
"  Some  say  that  he  was  an  honest  trader,  that  he  was 
bound  in  for  Table  Bay,  when  he  was  ordered  off  by 
the  authorities,  and  that,  putting  to  sea,  he  was  lost; 
others  say  that  he  was  a  piratical  gentleman,  and  that 

*  We  never  hear  of  the  Flying  DutcJiman  now-a-days.  The  fact 
is  that  he  had  the  monopoly  of  sailing  or  going  along  rather  in  the 
teeth  of  the  wind.  Now  steamers  have  cut  him  out,  and  he  is  fain  to 
hide  his  diminished  head. 


The  "Barbara"  on  Fire.  53 

on  one  occasion,  when  short  of  provisions,  being  driven 
off  the  land  by  contrary  winds,  he  swore  a  great  oath 
that  he  would  beat  about  till  the  day  of  doom,  but 
that  get  in  he  would.  He  and  all  his  crew  died  of 
starvation,  but  the  oath  has  been  kept ;  and  when 
gales  are  threatening,  or  mischief  Of  any  kind  brewing, 
he  is  to  be  met  with,  trying  in  vain  to  accomplish  his 
vow." 

I  smiled  at  Benjie's  account,  whereat  he  pretended 
to  look  very  indignant,  as  if  I  had  doubted  his  veracity. 
I  afterwards  made  inquiries  among  the  seamen.  Two 
or  three  asserted  that  they  had  witnessed  an  extra- 
ordinary sight  during  the  night,  but  they  all  differed 
considerably  in  their  accounts.  It  may  be  supposed 
that  they  were  trying  to  practise  on  the  credulity  of  a 
greenhorn.  My  belief  is  that  they  really  fancied  that 
they  had  seen  what  they  described. 

The  clouds  grew  thicker  and  thicker  till  they  got  as 
black  as  ink.  The  sea  became  of  a  dark  leaden  hue, 
and  the  swell  increased  in  height,  so  that  when  we 
sank  down  into  the  intermediate  valley,  we  could  not 
see  from  the  deck-beyond  the  watery  heights  on  either 
side  of  us. 

"  Ah,  the  skipper  is  right ;  we  shall  have  it  before 
long,  hot  and  furious." 

This  remark,  made  by  Benjie  Stubbs,  followed  the 
captain's  order  to  send  down  all  our  lighter  spars,  and 
to  make  everything  secure  on  deck,  as  well  as  below. 
The  ship  was  scarcely  made  snug  before  the  tempest 
broke  on  us.  The  high,  smooth  rollers  were  now 


54  James  Braithwaite. 

torn  and  wrenched  asunder  as  it  were,  their  summits 
wreathed  with  masses  of  foam,  which  curled  over  as 
they  advanced  against  the  wind,  and  breaking  into 
fragments,  blew  off  in  masses  of  snowy  whiteness  to 
leeward.  I  scarcely  thought  that  a  fabric  formed  by 
human  hands  could  have  sustained  the  rude  shocks  we 
encountered  till  the  ship  was  got  on  her  course,  and 
we  were  able  to  scud  before  the  gale.  Often  the  sea 
rose  up  like  a  dead  wall,  and  seemed  as  if  it  must  fall 
over  our  deck  and  send  us  to  the  bottom.  The  scene 
was  trying  in  the  daytime,  but  still  more  so  when 
darkness  covered  the  face  of  the  deep,  and  it  needed 
confidence  in  the  qualities  of  our  ship,  and  yet  greater 
in  God's  protecting  power,  not  to  feel  overcome  with 
dread.  There  was  a  grandeur  in  the  spectacle  which 
kept  me  on  deck,  and  it  was  not  till  after  the  steward 
had  frequently  summoned  me  to  supper  that  I  could 
tear  myself  from  it.  Curious  was  the  change  to  the 
well-lighted,  handsome  cabin,  with  the  supper  things 
securely  placed  between  fiddles  and  puddings  *  on  the 
swing  table.  The  first  mate  had  charge  of  the  deck. 
Stubbs  was  busily  employed  fortifying  his  nerves. 
"You  now  know,  Pusser,  what  a  gale  off  the  Cape 
is,"  he  observed,  looking  up  with  his  mouth  half  full 
of  beef  and  biscuit. 

"  Yes,  indeed,"  said  I.     "  Fine  weather,  too,  for  your 
friend  the  Dutchman  to  be  cruising." 

"  Ay,  and  likely  enough  we  shall  see  him,  too,"  he 
answered.     "  It  was  just  such  a  night  as  this,  some 
*  Contrivances  to  prevent  articles  falling  off  a  table  at  sea. 


The  "Barbara"  on  Fire.  55 

five  years  back,  that  we  fell  in  with  him  off  here ;  and 
our  consort,  as  sound  a  ship  as  ever  left  the  Thames, 
with  all  hands,  was  lost.  It's  my  belief  that  he  put  a 
boat  aboard  her  by  one  of  his  tricks."  I  saw  Captain 
Hassall  and  Irby  exchange  glances.  Stubbs  was  getting 
on  his  favourite  subject. 

"  Well,  now,  I've  doubled  this  Cape  a  dozen  times  or 
more,  and  have  never  yet  once  set  eyes  on  this  Dutch 
friend  of  yours,  Benjie,"  exclaimed  O'Carroll.  "  Mind 
you  call  me  if  we  sight  his  craft ;  I  should  like  to  '  ya, 
ya'  a  little  with  him,  and  just  ask  him  where  he  comes 
from,  and  what  he's  about,  and  maybe  if  I  put  the 
question  in  a  civil  way  I'll  get  a  civil  answer."  By- 
the-bye,  Captain  Hassall  and  I  had  been  so  well  pleased 
with  O'Carroll,  and  so  satisfied  as  to  his  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  regions  we  were  about  to  visit  and 
the  language  of  the  people,  that  we  had  retained  him 
on  board  as  supernumerary  mate. 

"  Don't  you  go  and  speak  to  him  now,  if  you  value 
the  safety  of  the  ship,  or  our  lives,"  exclaimed  Stubbs, 
in  a  tone  of  alarm.  "You  don't  know  what  trick 
he'll  play  you  if  you  do.  Let  such  gentry  alone, 
say  I." 

We  all  laughed  at  the  second  mate's  earnestness, 
though  I  cannot  say  that  all  the  rest  of  those  present 
disbelieved  in  the  existence  of  the  condemned  Dutch- 
man. The  state  of  the  atmosphere,  the  strange,  wild, 
awful  look  of  the  ocean,  prepared  our  minds  for  the 
appearance  of  anything  supernatural.  The  captain 
told  me  that  I  looked  ill  and  tired  from  having  been 


56  James  Braithwaite. 

on  deck  so  many  hours,  and  insisted  on  my  turning 
in,  which  I  at  length  unwillingly  did. 

In  spite  of  the  upheaving  motion  of  the  ship,  and 
the  peculiar  sensation  as  she  rushed  down  the  watery 
declivity  into  the  deep  valley  between  the  seas,  I  fell 
asleep.  The  creaking  of  the  bulkheads,  the  whistling 
of  the  wind  in  the  rigging,  the  roaring  of  the  seas,  and 
their  constant  dash  against  the  sides,  were  never  out  of 
my  ears,  and  oftentimes  I  fancied  that  I  was  on  deck 
witnessing  the  tumult  of  the  ocean — now  that  the 
Flying  Dutchman  was  in  sight,  now  that  our  own  good 
ship  was  sinking  down  overwhelmed  by  the  raging  seas. 

"  Mr.  Stubbs  wants  you  on  deck,  sir ;  she's  in  sight, 
sir,  he  says,  she's  in  sight,"  1  heard  a  voice  say,  while 
I  felt  my  elbow  shaken.  The  speaker  was  Jerry  Nott, 
our  cabin-boy.  I  slipped  on  my  clothes,  scarcely  know- 
ing what  I  was  about. 

"  What  o'clock  is  it  ?  "  I  asked.  "  Gone  two  bells  in 
the  morning  watch,"  he  answered.  I  sprang  on  deck. 
The  dawn  had  broke.  The  wind  blew  as  hard  as  ever. 
The  sky  and  sea  were  of  a  leaden  grey  hue,  the  only 
spots  of  white  were  the  foaming  crests  of  the  seas  and 
our  closely-reefed  foretop  sails.  "  There,  there !  Do 
you  see  her  now  ? "  asked  Stubbs,  pointing  ahead.  As 
we  rose  to  the  top  of  a  giant  sea  I  could  just  discover 
in  the  far  distance,  dimly  seen  amid  the  driving  spray, 
the  masts  of  a  ship,  with  more  canvas  set  than  I  should 
have  supposed  would  have  been  shown  to  such  a  gale. 
While  I  was  looking  I  saw  another  ship  not  far  beyond 
the  first.  We  were  clearly  nearing  them. 


The  u  Barbara  "  on  Fire.  57 

"  What  do  you  think  of  that  ?  "  asked  Stubbs. 

"That  there  are  two  ships  making  very  bad  weather 
of  it,  Mr.  Stubbs,"  answered  the  captain,  who  at  that 
moment  had  come  on  deck.  He  took  a  look  through 
his  glass. 

"  She  is  a  large  ship — a  line-of-battle  ship,  I  suspect," 
he  observed. 

"Looks  like  one,"  said  Stubbs.  "She'll  look  like 
something  else  by-and-by." 

The  rest  of  the  officers  had  now  joined  us  except 
Mr.  Randolph,  who  had  the  middle  watch.  We  were 
all  watching  the  strangers  together.  Now,  as  we  sank 
down  into  the  hollow,  the  masses  of  spray  which  blew 
off  from  the  huge  sea  uprising  between  us  and  them, 
hid  them  from  our  sight.  Some  differed  with  the 
captain  as  to  the  size  of  the  largest  ship.  One  or  two 
thought  that  she  was  an  Indiaman.  However,  she 
was  still  so  distant,  and  in  the  grey  dawn  so  misty- 
looking  and  indistinct,  that  it  was  difficult  to  decide 
the  question.  The  captain  himself  was  not  certain. 
"  However,  we  shall  soon  be  able  to  settle  the  matter," 
he  observed,  as  the  Barbara,  now  on  the  summit  of  a. 
mountain  billow,  was  about  to  glide  down  the  steep 
incline.  Down,  down,  we  went — it  seemed  that  we 
should  never  be  able  to  climb  the  opposite  height. 
We  were  all  looking  out  for  the  strangers,  expecting  to 
settle  the  disputed  point.  "  Where  are  they  ? "  burst 
from  the  lips  of  all  of  us.  "  Where,  where  ? "  We 
looked,  we  rubbed  our  eyes — no  sail  was  in  sight. 
"I  knew  it  would  be  so,"  said  Stubbs,  in  a  tone  in 


58  James  Braithwaite. 

which  I  perceived  a  thrill  of  horror.  O' Carroll  as- 
serted that  he  had  caught  sight  of  the  masts  of  a  ship 
as  if  sinking  beneath  the  waves. 

"Very  likely,"  observed  Stubbs,  "that  was  of  the 
ship  he  was  sending  to  the  bottom, — the  other  was 
the  Dutchman,  and  you  don't  see  her  now." 

"  No,  no,  they  were  craft  carrying  human  beings, 
and  they  have  foundered  without  a  chance  of  one  man 
out  of  the  many  hundreds  on  board  being  saved ! " 
exclaimed  the  captain. 

Stubbs  shook  his  head  as  if  he  doubted  it.  We 
careered  on  towards  the  spot  where  the  ships  had 
gone  down,  for  that  real  ships  had  been  there  no 
doubt  could  be  entertained.  A  strict  look-out  was 
kept  for  anything  that  might  still  be  floating  to  prove 
that  we  had  not  been  deceived  by  some  phantom 
forms.  Those  on  the  look-out  forward  reported  an 
object  ahead.  ' '  A  boat !  a  boat ! "  shouted  one  of  them. 
"  No  boat  could  live  in  such  a  sea,"  observed  the 
captain.  He  was  right.  As  we  approached,  we  saw 
a  grating,  to  which  a  human  being  was  clinging.  It 
was,  when  first  seen,  on  the  starboard  bow,  and  it  was, 
alas  !  evident  that  we  should  leave  him  at  too  great 
a  distance  even  to  heave  a  rope  to  which  he  might 
clutch.  By  his  dress  he  appeared  to  be  a  seaman.  He 
must  have  observed  our  approach ;  but  he  knew  well 
enough  that  we  could  make  no  attempt  to  save  him. 
He  gazed  at  us  steadily  as  we  glided  by — his  counte- 
nance seemed  calm — he  uttered  no  cry — still  he  clung 
to  his  frail  raft.  He  could  not  make  up  his  mind  to 


The  "  BCD  bar  a  "  on  Fire.  59. 

yield  to  death.  It  was  truly  a  painful  sight.  We 
anxiously  watched  him  till  we  left  the  raft  to  which 
he  still  clung  far  astern.  No  other  person  was  seen, 
but  other  objects  were  seen — floating  spars,  planks, 
gratings — to  prove  that  we  were  near  a  spot  where  a 
tall  ship  had  gone  down.  "  It  is  better  so,"  observed 
the  captain ;  "  unless  the  sea  had  cast  them  on  our 
deck  we  could  not  have  saved  one  of  them."  We 
rushed  on  up  and  down  the  watery  heights,  Stubbs  as 
firmly  convinced  as  ever  that  the  Flying  Dutchman 
had  produced  the  fearful  catastrophe  we  had  witnessed. 
On  we  went — the  gale  in  no  way  abating.  I 
watched  the  mountain  seas  till  I  grew  weary  of  look- 
ing at  them ;  still  I  learned  to  feel  perfectly  secure — a 
sensation  I  was  at  first  very  far  from  experiencing. 
Yet  much,  if  not  everything,  depended  on  the  sound- 
ness of  our  spars  and  rigging:  a. flaw  in  the  wood  or 
rope  might  be  the  cause  of  our  destruction.  I  went 
below  at  meal-time,  but  I  hurried  again  on  deck, 
fascinated  by  the  scene,  though  I  would  gladly  have 
shut  it  out  from  my  sight.  At  length,  towards  night, 
literally  wearied  with  the  exertion  of  keeping  my  feet 
and  watching  those  giant  seas,  I  went  below  and 
turned  in.  I  slept,  but  the  huge  white-crested  waves 
were  still  rolling  before  me,  and  big  ships  were  found- 
ering, and  phantom  vessels  were  sailing  in  the  wind's 
eye,  and  I  heard  the  bulkheads  creaking,  the  wind 
whistling,  and  the  waves  roaring,  as  loudly  as  if  I  was 
awake ;  only  I  often  assigned  a  wrong  sign  to  the  up- 
roar. Hour  after  hour  this  continued,  when,  as  I  had 


6o  James  Braithwaite. 

at  last  gone'  off  more  soundly,  a  crash  echoed  in  my 
ears,  followed  by  shrieks  and  cries.  It  did  not,  how- 
ever, awake  me.  It  seemed  a  part  of  the  strange 
dreams  in  which  I  was  indulging.  I  thought  that  the 
ship  had  struck  on  a  rock,  that  I  escaped  to  the  shore, 
had  climbed  up  a  lofty  cliff,  on  the  summit  of  which 
I  found  a  wood  fire  surrounded  by  savages.  They 
dragged  me  to  it — I  had  the  most  fearful  forebodings 
of  what  they  were  about  to  do.  Then  I  heard  the 
cry,  "  Fire !  fire  ! "  That  was  a  reality — the  smell  of 
fire  was  in  my  nostrils — I  started  up — I  was  alone  in 
the  cabin.  The  ship  was  plunging  about  in  an  awful 
manner.  I  hurried  on  my  clothes  and  rushed  on 
deck.  Daylight  had  broke.  The  ship  lately  so  trim 
seemed  a  perfect  wreck.  The  foremast  had  been 
carried  away,  shivered  to  the  deck,  and  hung  over  the 
bows,  from  which  part  of  the  crew  were  endeavouring 
to  clear  it.  The  main  and  mizen  topmasts  had  like- 
wise been  carried  away.  Smoke  was  coming  up  the 
fore  hatchway,  down  which  the  rest  of  the  people 
were  pouring  buckets  of  water.  I  went  forward  to 
render  assistance.  The  foremast  had  been  struck  by 
lightning,  and  the  electric  fluid,  after  shattering  it,  had 
descended  into  the  hold  and  set  the  ship  on  fire.  We 
worked  with  the  desperation  of  despair.  Should  the 
fire  once  gain  the  mastery,  no  human  power  could 
save  us.  The  sea  was  running  as  high  as  ever;  it  was 
with  difficulty  that  the  ship  could  be  kept  before  it. 
I  exchanged  but  a  few  words  with  my  companions ;  a 
bucket  was  put  into  my  hands,  and  I  at  once  saw 


The  "Barbara"  on  Fire.  61 

what  I  had  to  do.  The  smoko  after  a  time  had  de- 
creased, for  as  yet  no  flames  had  burst  forth.  "  Now, 
lads,  follow  me,"  cried  Kandolph,  the  first,  officer, 
leaping  below  with  his  bucket  and  an  axe  in  his  hand. 
Irby  and  four  men  sprang  after  him.  With  his  axe 
the  mate  cut  a  way  to  get  at  the  heart  of  the  fire. 
We  handed  down  buckets  to  his  companions,  who 
kept  emptying  them  round  where  he  was  working. 
The  smoke  was  still  stifling.  Those  below  could 
scarcely  be  seen  as  they  worked  amidst  it.  The  bulk- 
head was  cut  through.  The  seat  of  the  mischief  was 
discovered.  Flames  were  bursting  forth,  but  wet 
blankets  were  thrown  on  them.  The  buckets  were 
passed  rapidly  down.  The  smoke  was  decreasing. 
"  Hurrah,  lads !  we  shall  have  it  under ! "  cried  the 
first  mate,  in  an  encouraging  tone.  We  breathed 
more  freely.  The  fire  was  subdued.  The  peril  had 
indeed  been  great.  We  had  now  to  clear  the  wreck 
of  the  mast,  which  threatened  to  stave  in  the  bows. 
"  The  gale  is  breaking,"  cried  the  captain,  after  looking 
round  the  horizon;  "cheer  up,  my  lads,  and  we  shall 
do  well ! "  Encouraged  by  the  captain  the  men  la- 
boured on,  though  from  the  violent  working  of  the 
ship  it  was  not  without  great  difficulty  and  danger 
that  the  mass  of  spars,  ropes,  and  canvas  could  be 
hauled  on  board  or  cast  adrift.  As  a  landsman  my 
assistance  was  not  of  much  value,  though  I  stood  by 
clinging  to  the  bulwarks,  to  lend  a  hand  in  case  I 
should  be  required. 

While  glancing  to  windward,  as  I  did  every  now 


62  James  Braithwaite. 

and  then,  in  hopes  of  seeing  signs  of  the  abatement  of 
the  gale,  I  caught  sight  of  v/hat  seemed  the  wing  of 
an  albatross,  skimming  the  summit  of  a  tossing  sea. 
I  looked  again  and  again.  There  it  still  was  as  at  first. 
I  pointed  it  out  to  the  captain.  "A  sail  running 
down  towards  us, "  he  observed  ;  "  it  is  to  be  hoped 
that  she  is  a  friend,  for  we  are  in  a  sorry  plight  to 
meet  with  a  foe."  The  captain's  remark  made  me  feel 
not  a  little  anxious  as  to  the  character  of  the  approach- 
ing stranger.  After  a  time  it  became  evident  that  the 
wind  was  really  falling.  The  wreck  of  the  mast  was 
at  last  cleared  away,  but  a  calm  sea  would  be  required 
before  we  could  attempt  to  get  up  a  jurymast.  We 
had  watched  the  approach  of  the  stranger :  she  was 
steering  directly  for  us.  As  she  drew  nearer  I  saw 
0'  Carroll  examining  her  narrowly  through  the  glass. 
"Here  comes  the  Flying  Dutchman  again,"  I  ob- 
served to  Stubbs. 

"Not  at  all  certain  that  she  isn't,"  he  answered, 
quite  in  a  serious  tone. 

"  No,  she's  not  that,  but  she's  ten  times  worse,"  ex- 
claimed O'Carroll ;  "  she  is  the  Mignonne,  as  I  am  a 
seaman,  and  will  be  bothering  us  pretty  considerably, 
depend  on  that." 

We  heartily  hoped  that  he  was  mistaken,  but  cer- 
tainly she  was  very  like  the  craft  we  had  seen  at  St. 
Salvador.  She  passed  us  as  near  as  the  heavy  sea 
still  running  would  allow  her  to  do  without  danger 
to  herself.  A  man  was  standing  in  the  mizen  rigging. 
I  caught  sight  of  his  face  through  my  telescope.  I 


The  ^Barbara"1"1  on  Fire.  63 

thought  that  I  distinguished  a  look  of  satisfaction  in 

O  O 

his  countenance  as  he  gazed  at  us.  "  That's  La  Roche  ; 
I  know  the  villain  !"  cried  O'  Carroll;  "  I  thought  from 
what  I  heard  that  he  was  bound  out  here.  He'll 
work  us  ill,  depend  on  that."  We  now  wished  that 
the  sea  had  continued  to  run  as  high  as  it  had  hitherto 
been  doing,  when  it  would  have  been  impossible  for 
the  privateer  to  have  boarded  us.  It  was  now,  how- 
ever, rapidly  going  down,  though  as  yet  it  was  too 
rough  to  allow  her  to  attempt  to  run  alongside.  It 
was  possible  that  she  might  pass  us.  No  !  After 
running  on  a  short  distance  her  yards  were  braced 
sharp  up,  and  she  stood  back,  with  the  evident  inten- 
tion of  attacking  our  helpless  craft. 


CHAPTER  V. 

.4  DESPERATE  ENCOUNTER. 

/"VCARROLL'S  alarm  increased  as  he  saw  the 
^-^  privateer  approaching.  "  We  shall  all  have  our 
throats  cut  to  a  certainty,"  he  cried  out.  "  They  will 
not  leave  one  of  us  alive  to  go  home  to  our  discon- 
solate widows  to  tell  them  all  that  has  happened.  I 
know  them  too  well,  the  villains !  Arrah  !  it  was  an 
unfortunate  moment  that  ever  I  was  brought  to  tumble 
twice  into  the  hands  of  such  gentry." 

"  We  are  not  in  their  hands  yet,  and  if  we  make 
u  good  fight  of  it,  maybe  we  never  shall,"  exclaimed 
Captain  Hassall.  "  My  lads,  if  you'll  stand  by  me,  I'll 
hold  out  as  long  as  the  craft  can  float.  We  beat  off 
this  same  fellow  once  before — let's  try  if  we  can't  beat 
him  off  again." 

This  brief  address  inspirited  our  crew,  and,  almost 
worn  out  with  fatigue  as  they  were,  they  promised  to 
defend  themselves  to  the  last.  My  sensations,  as  we 
saw  the  enemy  approach,  were  not  altogether  pleasant. 
We  might  beat  him  off  in  the  end ;  but  even  that,  in 
our  present  condition,  was  not  likely  ;  and  how  many 
of  our  number  might  not  be  struck  down  in  the 
struggle  !  In  the  meantime,  the  men  armed  them- 


A  Desperate  Encounter.  65 

selves  with  pistols  and  cutlasses,  powder  and  shot 
were  got  up,  and  every  preparation  made  for  the  fight. 
The  enemy  approached,  but  as  he  had  run  to  leeward, 
it  was  some  time  before  he  could  work  up  to  pass  us 
to  windward.  We  had  carried  a  stay  from  the  main- 
mast to  the  bowsprit,  and  on  this  we  managed  to  set 
a  sail,  so  that  the  ship  was  tolerably  under  control. 
When  the  enemy,  therefore,  at  last  passed  under  our 
stern,  we  were  able  to  luff  up  and  avoid  the  raking 
fire  he  poured  in.  No  damage  was  done  to  any  of  our 
people,  but  a  shot  struck  the  mainmast,  and  wounded 
it  so  badly  that  it  was  evident  that,  with  any  addi- 
tional strain,  it  would  be  carried  away  altogether. 
Putting  up  the  helm,  we  again  ran  off  before  the  wind. 
The  enemy  was  soon  after  us,  but  though  he  came  up 
abeam  in  the  heavy  sea  still  running,  his  aim  was  of 
necessity  uncertain,  and  for  some  time  not  a  shot  struck 
us,  while  several  of  ours  struck  him.  This  encouraged 
our  men,  who  gave  vent  to  their  satisfaction  whenever 
he  was  hulled,  or  a  shot  went  through  his  sails.  Our 
hopes  of  success  were,  however,  soon  brought  to  an 
end,  for,  as  we  were  compelled  to  luff  up  suddenly,  to 
avoid  being  raked,  as  he  was  about  to  cross  our  bows, 
the  heavy  strain  on  our  wounded  mast  carried  it  away, 
and  with  it  the  mizen  topmast,  and  there  we  lay  a 
helpless  wreck  in  the  trough  of  the  sea,  at  the  mercy 
of  the  enemy.  Still,  as  we  could  work  our  guns  we 
would  not  give  in,  but  hoisting  our  flag  on  the  mizen- 
mast  we  continued  firing'  as  long  as  we  could  bring 
our  guns  to  bear.  A  loud  cheer  burst  from  the  throats 

5 


66  James  Braithwaite. 

of  our  crew;  the  Frenchman  was  standing  away.  This 
exultation  was  rather  too  precipitate.  As  soon  as  he 
got  out  of  range  of  our  guns,  he  hove-to  and  began 
firing  away  from  a  long  gun,  the  shot  from  which 
occasionally  hit  us.  One  poor  fellow  was  killed  and 
two  wounded.  It  was  clear  that  the  privateer  was 
merely  waiting  till  the  sea  should  go  down,  when  he 
would  run  alongside  and  capture  us  without  difficulty. 

Captain  Hassall  at  last,  seeing  what  must  inevitably 
occur,  called  the  officers  round  him,  and  proposed  sur- 
rendering. "  The  villains  will  cut  all  our  throats  if  we 
do,  that's  all,"  observed  O'Carroll.  "I  would  rather 
hold  out  to  the  last  and  sell  our  lives  dearly."  Most 
of  us  were  of  O'Carroll's  opinion. 

"  Very  well,  gentlemen,  so  let  it  be,"  said  the  captain. 
"  I  have  done  my  duty  in  offering  to  surrender,  when 
I  consider  that  successful  resistance  is  hopeless ;  still 
I  agree  with  you  that  it  would  be  better  to  die  fight- 
ing than  to  be  murdered  in  cold  blood." 

When  our  guns  became  useless,  the  crew  had  been 
set  to  work  to  clear  the  wreck  of  the  mainmast,  and 
to  prepare  sheers  for  a  jury  foremast.  "And  this  is  to 
be  the  termination  of  our  enterprise,"  I  thought.  I 
must  own  I  gave  way  to  some  bitter  reflection.  While 
all  hands  were  busily  employed,  I  turned  my  eyes 
westward,  and  there,  in  the  very  place  where  the 
Mignonne  had  appeared,  I  saw  another  white  sail. 
I  pointed  her  out  to  the  captain.  "  She  may  be  a 
friend,  and  turn  the  tables,"  he  observed.  "  If  a  foe 
we  shall  not  be  worse  off  than  at  present." 


A  Desperate  Encounter.  67 

It  soon  became  known  that  a  sail  was  in  sight.  The 
crew  came  to  the  conclusion  that  she  was  a  friend. 
The  Frenchmen  at  last  saw  her.  Whatever  opinion 
they  formed,  they  judged  that  it  would  be  wise  to 
finish  the  fight  and  take  possession  of  us.  Once  more 
the  enemy  drew  near.  The  firing  became  hotter  than 
ever.  I  turned  many  an  anxious  glance  at  the  ap- 
proaching sail.  I  felt  sure  that,  in  spite  of  the  staunch- 
ness of  our  men,  we  must  inevitably  be  overpowered. 
The  stranger  was  getting  closer  and  closer. 

"She  is  a  frigate  !"  cried  the  captain.  "She  shows 
English  colours  !  hurrah  !  hurrah  !  "  The  enemy  saw 
that  the  chance  of  capturing  us  was  gone.  Sweeping 
round  us,  with  diabolical  malice  he  gave  a  parting 
broadside,  which  killed  one  man  and  wounded  another, 
and  then  under  all  the  sail  he  could  set  ran  of!  before 
the  wind.  The  frigate  had  now  also  made  more  sail 
and  closed  as  rapidly.  She  came  close  to  us.  "  Are 
you  in  a  sinking  state  ? "  asked  a  voice  from  the  frigate. 
"I  hope  not,"  answered  Captain  Hassall.  "Then  hold 
on  and  we'll  come  back  to  you,"  said  the  voice,  which 
we  took  to  be  that  of  the  captain.  As  I  was  watching 
the  frigate  through  my  glass,  as  she  rushed  by  us,  who 
should  I  see  standing  in  the  main  rigging  but  my  own 
midshipman  brother  William !  I  waved  heartily  to  him, 
but  he  did  not  make  me  out.  From  my  usual  sedate 
manners,  my  shipmates  seeing  my  gestures  thought 
that  I  had  gone  mad,  and  was  waving  to  be  taken  on 
board  the  frigate.  "  She  is  the  P/tcebe  frigate,"  I  ex- 
claimed, jumping  out  of  the  rigging  on  deck.  "  No  fear 


68  James  Braithwaite. 

that  we  shall  be  deserted  now ! "  I  then  explained 
how  I  came  to  know  the  name  of  the  frigate.  All 
hands  were  now  set  to  work  to  get  the  ship  to  rights. 

The  chase,  meantime,  became  very  exciting.  "  The 
captain  does  not  know  what  a  fast  pair  of  heels  that 
privateering  scoundrel  possesses,  or  he  would  not  have 
much  hopes  of  catching  him,"  observed  Captain  Hassall, 
as  he  watched  the  two  vessels.  The  topsails  of  the 
Frenchman  soon  disappeared  beneath  the  horizon,  and 
the  shades  of  evening  at  length  closing  down,  we  were 
left  alone  on  the  world  of  waters,  into  which  the  heavy 
swell  made  us  roll  our  sides  till  we  almost  dipped  our 
bulwarks  under — each  time  showers  of  spray  being 
sent  dripping  off  them.  The  enemy  had  made  several 
shot  holes  in  our  sides,  and  those  were  now,  we  found, 
taking  in  the  water  faster  than  was  altogether  agree- 
able. The  carpenter  and  his  mates  had  indeed  hard 
work  to  stop  them.  I  have  heard  of  people's  hair 
turning  white  in  a  single  night.  I  felt  as  if  mine 
would,  for  it  became  doubtful  if  after  all  the  ship 
would  swim,  from  the  quantity  of  water  she  was  tak- 
ing in.  We,  indeed,  had  reason  to  regret  that  we  had 
allowed  the  frigate  to  leave  us.  At  last  the  morning 
broke.  We  eagerly  looked  round  the  horizon.  No 
sail  was  in  sight.  Would  the  ship  float  another  day  ? 
The  shot  holes  had  been  stopped,  but  should  bad 
weather  again  come  on  it  would  be  impossible  to  say 
what  would  be  the  effect  on  the  vessel.  Noon  came, 
but  no  sail  was  in  sio'ht.  We  were  afraid  that  the 

o 

cunning  privateer  had  led  the  frigate  a  long  chase, 


A  Desperate  Encounter.  69 

perhaps  among  shoals  and  reefs,  and  that  she  had  got 
on  shore,  and  that  we  might  not  see  the  frigate  again. 

"  More  likely  that  she  was  only  the  Flying  Dutch- 
man, taking  a  longer  cruise  than  usual,"  muttered 
Stubbs.  "  There's  no  saying  what  tricks  that  fellow 
is  not  up  to." 

"  What,  not  got  the  Dutchman  out  of  your  head 
yet,  Stubbs  ?  "  said  Randolph.  "  Why,  Biddulph  saw 
his  brother  on  board,  and  two  or  three  of  our  people 
know  the  Phoebe,  and  recognised  her." 

"Yes,  I  know  that's  what  often  happens.  The 
Dutchman  can  make  his  ship  look  like  &ny  vessel  he 
chooses,"  persisted  Stubbs  ;  "  naturally — that  is  to 
say  as  she  generally  appears — she  is  a  curious  old- 
fashioned  rigged  craft — you  may  depend  on  that." 

While  we  were  speaking — taking  a  breath  between 
our  labours,  for  all  hands  had  been  working  hard — "  A 
sail,  a  sail  !  "  was  shouted  by  one  of  the  seamen.  We 
all  looked  in  the  direction  in  which  he  pointed,  and 
there  appeared  the  upper  sails  of  a  ship.  Our  hopes 
made  us  believe  that  it  was  the  frigate.  "  As  likely 
the  Frenchman  come  to  finish  us  off,  or  maybe  only 
the  Flying  Dutclunan  again,"  said  Sbubbs.  I  thought 
that  I  detected  a  gleam  of  humour  in  his  eye,  as  if  he 
was  not  quite  so  credulous  as  he  pretended  to  be.  As 
the  stranger  approached,  the  belief  that  she  was  the 
Phoebe  gained  ground.  At  length  those  who  knew 
her  best  said  that  there  was  no  doubt  about  the  matter. 
They  were  right.  Before  dark  she  hove-to  close  to  us, 
and  a  boat  with  a  midshipman  in  her  boarded  us. 


70  James  Braithwaite. 

The  midshipman  was  my  brother  William.  He  almost 
tumbled  back  with  surprise  at  seeing  me,  for  he  did 
not  even  know  that  I  was  coming  out. 

"  Why,  James,  where  have  you  sprung  from  ?  "  he 
exclaimed.  "  I  am  thankful  to  see  you  unhurt,  for  we 
have  been  anxious  about  you  all  day.  Couldn't  tell 
how  much  damage  the  rascal  might  have  done  you. 
Well,  he  escaped  after  all.  He  has  a  fast  pair  of 
heels,  indeed,  and  he  led  us  a  pretty  chase,  till  he  got 
in  among  some  reefs,  on  which  we  were  nearly  leaving 
our  bones.  We  saw  our  danger,  however,  and  by  the 
time  we  were  clear  he  was  out  of  sight." 

The  boat's  crew  were  directed  to  remain  on  board 
to  put  the  ship  to  rights.  When,  however,  Captain 
Young  found  that  this  would  occupy  some  time,  he 
offered  to  take  us  in  tow.  A  hawser  was  accordingly 
passed  on  board,  and  away  we  went  in  the  wake  of 
the  frigate.  Our  course  was  for  the  Isle  of  Bourbon, 
lately  captured  from  the  French.  At  the  end  of  a 
week  we  anchored  in  the  Bay  of  St.  Paul  in  that 
island.  On  our  way  there  we  had  done  our  best  to 
get  the  ship  in  order.  Our  crew  were  now  set  to 
work  in  earnest,  aided  by  some  of  the  men  of  the 
Phoebe,  who  were  kindly  spared  to  us  by  her  captain. 
I  took  the  opportunity  of  seeing  something  of  the 
island.  My  brother  William  and  some  of  the  other 
midshipmen  of  the  Phoebe  got  leave  to  accompany  me, 
and  merry  parties  we  had. 

Bourbon  is  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in 
circumference,  and  rises  rapidly  from  the  sea,  forming 


A  Desperate  Encounter.  71 

one  huge  blunt-topped  mountain  in  the  centre ;  indeed, 
the  whole  island  is  not  unlike  a  big  tea-cup  in  the 
middle  of  the  ocean,  with  some  rather  large  cracks, 
however,  in  it.  It  is  generally  fertile,  coffee  and 
cotton  being  grown  on  it.  On  the  south  side,  a  few 
miles  from  the  sea,  there  is  a  volcano,  which  grumbled 
and  growled,  but  seldom  did  more  than  send  forth  a 
little  smoke.  The  inhabitants  did  not  appear  to  be 
at  all  soured  at  having  been  placed  under  British  rule. 
Probably,  indeed,  it  was  a  matter  of  indifference  to 
them,  for  they  have  themselves  sprung  from  a  mixture 
of  half  the  races  under  the  sun.  Many  of  the  inhabi- 
tants are  descended  from  some  of  those  English  pirates 
whose  headquarters  were,  for  nearly  a  hundred  years, 
on  the  island  of  Madagascar,  but  who,  about  the 
middle  of  the  seventeenth  century,  growing  weary  of 
their  lawless  calling,  settled  here.  As  their  wives 
were  mostly  from  Madagascar,  they  are  somewhat 
darkish,  but  not  bad-looking.  They  are  a  lively, 
merry  race,  fond  of  dancing,  and  their  climate  is 
delightful.  The  names  of  some  of  the  families  be- 

o 

longing  to  the  island  are  derived  from  the  English,  as 
are  those  of  several  places.  I  remember  a  bay  in 
Madagascar,  Antongil  Bay,  which  clearly  takes  its 
name  from  the  well-known  pirate-leader,  Antony  Gill, 
who  robbed  and  murdered  on  the  high  seas  early  in 
the  seventeenth  century. 

A  squadron  and  troops  were  collecting  here,  the 
latter  under  General  Abercrombie,  for  an  expedition 
to  the  Mauritius.  We  were  greatly  disappointed,  I 


72  James  Braithwaite. 

must  own,  that  our  ship  was  not  in  a  condition  to 
proceed  to  sea,  or  we  should  have  been  chartered  to 
convey  troops  and  been  witnesses  of  the  triumphs  we 
hoped  they  would  achieve.  My  object  is,  however, 
to  describe  my  own  adventures  in  the  pursuit  of 
pacific  commerce.  I  will  thus  only  briefly  say  that 
the  expedition  arrived  speedily  off  the  Mauritius,  the 
troops  were  landed,  and  that  after  some  sharp  fighting, 
by  which  we  lost  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  killed 
and  wounded,  the  French  General,  De  Caen,  capitulated. 
"We  had  several  sepoy  regiments,  and  the  French  general, 
in  order  to  inspire  the  colonial  troops  with  contempt  for 
them,  publicly  promised  that  whoever  should  capture 
a  sepoy  should  have  him  for  a  slave ;  but  the  militia 
appear  to  have  thought  that  by  so  doing  they  might 
possibly  catch  a  Tartar,  for  not  a  sepoy  was  made 
prisoner. 

I  made  some  satisfactory  sales  at  Bourbon,  and  as 
soon  as  the  ship  was  repaired  she  followed  the  men-of- 
war  to  the  Isle  of  France.  The  island  is  about  thirty- 
five  miles  long,  and  one  hundred  and  fifteen  in 
circumference,  with  a  surface  greatly  diversified  by 
hill  and  plain,  wood  and  plantation,  with  several  con- 
siderable mountains,  the  chief  of  which,  Le  Pouce  and 
Pieter  Botte,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Port  Louis,  are 
well  known.  The  harbour  was  a  complete  forest  of 
masts,  filled  with  vessels  of  all  sorts  and  sizes,  from  the 
huge  line-of-battle  ship  to  the  humble  canoe,  not  unlike 
a  butcher's  tray,  scooped  out  of  a  single  log.  The  British 
flag  waved  triumphantly  on  all  the  batteries;  and  India- 


A  Desperate  Encounter.  73 

men,  transport  prizes,  merchant  craft  of  all  descriptions, 
displayed  English  colours,  in  most  cases  flying  over 
the  French.  Numerous  boats,  too,  were  plying  to  and 
fro  filled  with  naval  and  military  officers,  captains  of 
Indiamen,  sailors,  lascars,  negroes,  and  Frenchmen, 
some  on  business,  some  on  pleasure,  but  all  seeming  to 
be  in  a  hurry.  I  looked  out  with  no  little  curiosity 
for  any  craft  which  might  answer  the  description  of 
our  late  antagonist,  the  Mignonne.  If  she  had  entered 
the  harbour,  she  had  again  escaped  before  the  capture 
of  the  place,  for  she  was  nowhere  to  be  seen.  It  would 
have  been  satisfactory  to  have  seen  our  friend  caged, 
but  it  was  too  probable  that  he  was  still  roving  over 
the  ocean,  on  the  watch  to  plunder  any  English  craft 
he  could  venture  to  attack. 

The  scene  on  shore  was  even  more  animated  than 
on  the  water.  The  streets  were  crowded  with  people 
of  many  nations :  naval  and  military  officers,  English 
and  French  Government  civilians,  merchants  and 
other  traders,  Asiatics  and  negroes,  almost  naked 
slaves  dragging  along  horse-loads  in  carts,  with 
mongrels  of  every  shade  of  colour.  The  town,  though 
in  a  bustle,  was  perfectly  orderly ;  the  shops  were  all 
open,  and  their  owners  seemed  to  be  driving  a  thriving 
trade,  as  were  also  the  keepers  of  taverns,  which  were 
tull  of  visitors  from  fleet  and  camp.  We  fortunately 
had  several  articles  among  the  cargo  of  the  Barbara, 
of  which  our  countrymen  were  much  in  want,  not  to 
be  found  in  the  stores  of  the  place.  They  were,  how- 
ever, quickly  disposed  of,  and  I  was  then  at  leisure  to 


74  James  Braithwaite. 

amuse  myself  as  I  thought  fit.  I  made  several 
excursions  on  shore  with  my  brother  when  he  could 
get  leave,  and  I  had  thus  an  opportunity  of  learning 
the  productions  of  the  island.  The  chief  food  of  the 
lower  orders  and  slaves  is  yams  and  the  jatropha,  or 
cassada,  of  which  there  are  two  species  commonly 
known,  the  jatropha  janipha,  and  the  jatropha 
manihot.  The  former  contains  a  strong  vegetable 
poison,  which  is  destroyed  by  boiling;  the  latter  is 
merely  slightly  narcotic  in  its  effects,  and  both  are 
easily  converted  into  wholesome  food.  The  root,  after 
being  well  washed  and  dried  in  the  sun,  is  usually 
scraped  into  a  coarse  powder,  from  which  the  juice  is 
expressed :  it  is  then  dried  a  second  time  and  formed 
into  thin  cakes,  very  similar  in  appearance  to  Scotch 
barley-cakes.  The  bread  thus  made  is  called  manioc. 
Tapioca  is  also  a  preparation  of  the  root.  Plantains, 
bananas,  melons,  and  mangoes  abound,  and  the  last 
are  especially  fine.  The  climate  is  healthy,  but  the 
Mauritius  is  occasionally  visited  by  terrific  hurricanes, 
which  commit  great  damage  both  afloat  and  on  shore. 
We  soon  made  friends  among  the  French  residents, 
and  one  of  them,  with  whom  I  had  had  some  trans- 
actions, invited  William  and  me,  and  a  military  ac- 
quaintance, Captain  Mason,  to  his  house  in  the  country. 
We  were  most  hospitably  entertained  by  our  worthy 
host.  The  house  was  large  and  airy,  with  a  verandah 
running  round  it  on  one  side  sufficiently  broad  to 
enable  us  to  sit  out  and  enjoy  the  cool  breeze,  while 
we  sipped  our  coffee.  We  had  proposed  returning 


A  Desperate  Encounter.  75 

that  evening,  but  the  wind  got  up,  it  rained  heavily, 
and  became  very  dark.  Our  host  pressed  us  to  stay, 
and  as  William's  leave  extended  to  the  next  morning 
we  accepted  his  invitation,  he  undertaking  to  put  my 
brother  on  board  in  time.  Our  companion,  Captain 
Mason,  was  a  quiet,  amiable  man.  He  was  married, 
and  as  he  expected  to  remain  on  the  island,  he  had,  he 
told  us,  sent  for  his  wife  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
where  he  had  left  her.  I  cannot  now  describe  the 
incidents  of  our  visit. 

The  next  morning,  soon  after  daybreak,  having 
taken  an  early  breakfast  of  a  lighter  character  than 
suited  our  English  appetites,  we  drove  back  to  Port 
Louis.  The  weather  had  grown  worse  instead  of  im- 
proving, and  as  we  drew  near  the  town  we  saw  in  the 
distance  two  vessels  with  English  colours  approaching 
the  harbour.  William  had  to  hurry  on  board  his  ship, 
but  Mason  and  I  drove  on  to  a  spot  where  we  could 
see  them  enter.  One  gained  an  anchorage  in  safety, 
but  the  other  still  continued  outside,  steering  wildly, 
as  if  uncertain  what  course  to  take.  It  was  soon 
evident  that  she  was  in  great  danger.  While  we  were 
looking  on,  Captain  Hassall  joined  us.  There  were  a 
number  of  naval  officers,  masters  of  merchantmen,  and 
others  collected  on  the  shore.  "  She  is  said  to  have  a 
pilot  on  board,  and  an  ignorant  fellow  he  must  be,  or 
he  would  have  anchored  outside  ere  this  if  he  could 
not  get  in,"  observed  Captain  Hassall.  While  he  was 
speaking,  the  vessel  got  into  the  swell  of  the  sea  which 
was  dashing  on  the  roaks  close  at  hand.  Rapidly  she 


76  James  Braithwaite. 

came  drifting  towards  them.  Probably  the  master 
then  asserted  his  authority,  for  two  anchors  were  let  go. 
The  fate  of  the  ship,  and  probably  of  all  on  board, 
depended  on  the  anchors  holding.  With  deep  anxiety 
we  watched  her  as  the  huge  swells  came  rolling  in 
towards  the  rocks.  A  cry  arose  from  the  collected 
crowd — "  The  cables  have  parted — the  cables  have 
parted!"  The  hapless  craft  was  lifted  by  the  next 
surge,  and  hurried  on  amid  the  foaming  breakers 
towards  the  rocks.  At  that  instant  the  foresail  was 
set,  in  the  hopes  of  its  helping  to  force  her  over  them. 
It  was  useless;  down  she  came  with  a  tremendous 
.  crash  on  the  black  rocks.  For  a  few  minutes  she 
continued  beating  on  them,  rocking  to  and  fro  in  the 
wildest  agitation ;  then  a  huge  surge,  which  appeared 
to  have  been  for  some  time  collecting  its  strength, 
struck  her  on  the  side,  and  rolled  her  over,  as  if  she 
had  been  merely  a  child's  plaything,  towards  the  shore, 
to  all  appearance  overwhelmed,  so  as  never  to  rise  again. 
The  wild  breakers  dashed  triumphantly  over  her,  but 
she  was  not  conquered,  though  it  seemed  a  wonder  that 
wood  and  iron  should  hold  together  under  the  tremen- 
dous shocks  she  was  receiving.  Once  more  she  rose 
to  an  erect  position,  and  it  was  seen  that  her  dauntless 
crew  were  endeavouring  to  cut  away  her  masts.  "  It 
is  the  only  thing  they  can  do  to  save  their  lives," 
observed  Hassall,  watching  them  through  his  glass. 
"And  see, — yes — there  is  a  woman  on  board — a  lady  by 
her  dress.  She  is  clinging  to  the  windlass — probably 
secured  to  it."  As  he  was  speaking,  the  mizenmast 


A  Desperate  Encounter.  77 

came  down,  followed  quickly  by  the  mainmast,  which 
happily  fell  towards  the  shore.  Again  a  surge  covered 
the  vessel.  We  feared  that  all  on  board  would  be 
swept  from  the  decks ;  but  when  again  the  surge 
receded,  the  people  were  seen  clinging  fast  as  before. 
A  boat  from  one  of  the  men-of-war  now  approached 
the  wreck,  but  the  officer  in  command  soon  saw  that 
he  should  only  throw  away  his  own  life  and  the  lives 
of  those  with  him  if  he  should  attempt  to  go  near 
enough  to  receive  any  one  on  board.  The  foremast 
now  fell,  and  still  the  stout  ship  hung  together.  Other 
boats  came  up  and  got  as  near  as  it  was  possible  to  go. 
That  those  on  board  thought  she  would  not  hold 
together  much  longer  was  evident  by  the  efforts  they 
began  to  make  to  escape. 

First  we  observed  a  man  descend  the  foremast  as  if 
with  the  intention  of  swimming  ashore.  His  courage, 
however,  forsook  him ;  he  paused  and  returned.  Again 
he  climbed  along  the  mast,  but  hesitated — it  was 
indeed  a  desperate  undertaking.  At  length  he  cast 
himself  into  the  water :  immediately  he  was  over- 
whelmed. Would  he  ever  again  reach  the  surface  ? 
"  Yes !  yes !  there  he  is,"  cried  out  several.  For  a 
moment  he  was  seen  struggling  bravely.  A  groan 
escaped  from  the  spectators  :  "  He's  gone !  he's  gone 
"No,  no,  he  is  still  floating,"  many  shouted  out.  So 
he  was;  but  whirled  here  and  there,  blinded  and 
confused,  he  was  unable  to  guide  himself.  He  was 
seen,  happily,  from  one  of  the  boats:  she  dashed 
forward,  and  he  was  hauled  on  board  without 


78  James  Braithwaite. 

apparently  having  struck  a  rock.     All  this  time  the 

people  on  the  wreck  had  been  watching   him  with 

intense  anxiety,  especially  the  poor  lady :  "  If  a  strong 

and   bold   swimmer   could    scarcely   be    saved,   what 

chance  had  she  ?  "     Hassall  made  the  remark.     "  Not 

one  would  have  a  prospect  of  being  saved  if  trusting 

only  to  his  own  strength ;  but  there  is  a  Ruler  above," 

said  Captain  Mason,  who  had  hitherto  been  watching 

the  wreck  without  speaking ;  "  He  may  save  that  poor 

woman   on    the   wreck    as   easily   as    the    strongest 

seaman."     I  have  often  since  thought  of  my  friend's 

remark.     It  is  not  our  own  right  arm,  but  God  in 

heaven,  without  whose  knowledge  not  a  sparrow  falls 

to  the  ground,  who  preserves   us  in  many  dangers. 

Captain  Mason  begged  for  the  use  of  Hassall's  glass, 

and  looked  steadfastly  through  it  at  the  wreck.     "  It 

is  impossible,  yet  the  figure  is  like — I  cannot  make  it 

out,"  I  heard  him  say.     The  success  of  the  first  man 

induced  another  to  attempt  reaching  the  shore.     He 

hurried   along   to   the   end   of  the   mast   and   threw 

himself  into  the  water.     The  boiling  surges  whirled 

him  round  and  round — now  he  was  concealed  by  the 

foam — now   he   appeared  struggling  onward — still  it 

seemed  scarcely  possible  that  he  could  escape  from  the 

boiling  cauldron — just  then  a  broken  spar  floated  near 

him.     Had  the  end  struck  him  he  must  have  been 

lost,  but  it  came  on  so  that  he  could  clutch  the  middle. 

Tightly  he  grasped  it  till  like  his  shipmate  he  was 

floated   near  one  of  the  boats  and  taken  on  board. 

Two  other  men,  encouraged  by  the  success  of  the  first, 


A  Desperate  Encounter.  79 

attempted  to  reach  the  boats  by  the  same  means,  but 
scarcely  had  they  committed  themselves  to  the  water 
when  a  huge  roller  came  roaring  on,  dashing  over  the 
ship,  and  as  it  receded  swept  them  off  far  away  to 
sea;  for  a  moment  their  forms  were  seen  struggling 
amidst  the  foam,  and  then  they  were  hid  for  ever 
from  human  eye.  The  lives  of  the  remainder  on  board 
seemed  more  than  ever  in  danger.  Should  the  storm 
increase,  of  which  there  seemed  every  probability,  the 
ship  must  go  to  pieces,  even  if  they  were  not  first 
washed  off  the  deck,  and  then  what  effort  could  save 
them  ?  I  was  more  than  ever  interested  in  their  fate, 
when  suddenly  the  idea  occurred  to  me  that  the  lady 
on  board  might  be  the  wife  of  my  friend  Mason.  I 
thought  that  he  had  the  same  idea,  though  he  would 
not  allow  himself  to  entertain  it,  by  the  agitation  he 
exhibited,  and  which  he  in  vain  tried  to  control.  As 
yet  the  men  who  had  been  saved  had  not  been  brought 
on  shore.  More  boats  were  coming  down  the  harbour. 
At  length  a  fine  whale-boat  was  brought  down  not  far 
from  where  we  were  standing.  A  naval  officer,  whose 
name  I  regret  that  I  did  not  note,  volunteered  to  take 
the  command,  and  to  go  alongside  the  wreck,  if 
volunteers  could  be  found  to  man  her.  Hassall  at 
once  offered  his  services,  as  did  several  other  masters 
of  merchantmen  standing  by,  and  they  were  accepted. 
Mason  and  I  also  volunteered.  "  Not  unless  you  are 
seamen,"  was  the  answer.  "  This  work  requires  firm 
nerves  and  skilful  hands." 

I  must  observe  here   that  I  have  ever  found  the 


8o  James  Braithwaite. 

officers  of  the  mercantile  marine  ready  to  go  forth,  in 
spite  of  all  dangers,  to  save  the  lives  of  their  fellow- 
creatures.  Though  there  are  exceptions,  the  greater 
number  are  as  gallant  fellows  as  any  of  those  who 
have  fought  the  battles  of  our  country. 

The  boat  was  manned  and  ready  to  go  off,  but  it 
became  a  question  whether  it  would  be  wise  to  wait 
on  the  prospect  of  the  sea  going  down,  or  to  risk  all 
and  to  go  off  at  once  on  the  possibility  of  the  gale 
increasing.  The  men  who  had  been  rescued  were 
brought  on  shore.  Mason  hurried  to  them,  and  eagerly 
inquired  who  was  the  woman  on  board.  They  were 
common  seamen,  and  did  not  know  her  name.  She 
was  a  lady,  and  had  come  on  board  at  Cape  Town 
just  as  the  ship  was  sailing.  That  was  all  they  knew. 
The  naval  officer  had  earnestly  been  watching  the 
huge  rollers  as  they  came  tumbling  on  towards  the 
shore.  Suddenly  he  cried  out,  "  Now,  gentlemen, 
we'll  be  off."  Away  went  the  boat  amid  the  foaming 
seas  towards  the  hapless  wreck. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

IN  TROUBLED    WATERS. 

"1  TASSALL  had  left  me  his  telescope.  I  could  see 
-* — *-  the  people  on  board  the  wreck  stretching  out 
their  hands  towards  the  boat  as  she  left  the  shore  on 
her  errand  of  mercy.  Mason  every  now  and  then 
asked  for  the  glass  and  looked  towards  the  wreck. 
He  seemed  more  and  more  convinced  that  the  lady  on 
board  was  his  wife.  Yet  could  he  do  nothing  ?  Yes, 
he  could.  Though  he  could  not  exert  his  body  I  saw 
that  he  was  doing  all  that  man  in  his  utmost  extremity 
can  do.  His  lips  were  moving,  his  head  was  bent 
forward,  his  eyes  glancing  at  times  at  the  boat  and 
the  ship,  his  hands  were  clasped  tightly  in  prayer, 
forgetful  of  the  crowds  surrounding  him.  The  boat, 
impelled  by  lusty  strokes,  darted  on.  She  reached 
the  wreck.  The  lady  was  lifted  in.  No  one  seemed 
inclined  to  follow.  The  danger  was  fearful.  Not 
before,  since  she  struck,  had  one  of  the  huge  rollers 
failed  at  much  shorter  intervals  to  dash  over  and  over 
the  ship.  Should  one  of  them  overtake  the  boat  her 
fate  would  be  sealed.  On  came  the  boat  towards  the 
beach.  A  number  of  seamen  rushed  down  into  the 
surf  to  receive  her  and  haul -her  upas  soon  as  she 

6 


82  James  Braithwaite. 

should  touch  the  sand.  The  excitement  among  the 
crowd  was  tremendous.  Far  off  I  saw  one  of  these 
huge  billows  rushing  onwards.  If  it  broke  before  the 
boat  could  reach  the  beach  it  would  overwhelm  her. 
The  least  excited  of  the  crowd,  to  all  appearance,  was 
my  friend  Captain  Mason.  He  advanced  slowly 
towards  the  spot  which  it  seemed  probable  the  boat 
would  reach,  then  he  stopped  for  a  moment.  On  she 
came,  her  keel  grated  on  the  sand,  sturdy  shoulders 
bore  her  along  upwards,  and  ere  the  coming  roller 
burst  she  was  safe  beyond  its  reach.  The  lady  lay 
almost  overcome  in  the  stern  sheets.  Mason  uttered 
his  wife's  name,  she  looked  up,  and  in  another  moment 
she  was  placed  in  his  arms.  A  communication  was 
afterwards  established  between  the  wreck  and  the 
shore,  and  most  of  the  crew  landed  before  the  gale 
again  came  down  with  redoubled  fury.  By  the 
morning  scarce  a  vestige  of  the  ship  remained.  I  had 
the  pleasure  of  seeing  Mrs.  Mason  completely  recovered 
two  days  afterwards,  and  thankful  for  her  providential 
escape. 

My  brother  William  got  leave  of  absence  for  three 
or  four  days,  and  he  was  anxious  to  spend  the  time  in 
a  cruise  along  the  coast,  and  to  get  me  to  accompany 
him.  I  had  wound  up  my  mercantile  business  at  the 
place,  but  as  the  Barbara  would  be  detained  a  few 
clays  longer  to  complete  her  repairs,  in  a  weak  moment 
I  consented  to  his  proposal,  as  if  we  had  not  enough 
knocking  about  on  salt  water  in  the  pursuit  of  our 
professional  duties.  It  is  difficult  to  put  old  heads  on 


In   Troubled  Waters.  83 

young  shoulders.  We  did  not  remember  that  it  was 
still  the  stormy  season,  and  that  the  natives  might  not 
be  so  inclined  to  be  civil  to  us,  their  late  conquerors, 
coming  in  a  half-decked  boat  with  fowling-pieces,  as 
they  would  had  we  appeared  under  the  protection  of 
he  frigate's  guns. 

We  agreed  that  it  would  be  as  well  to  have  com- 
panions. I  asked  0' Carroll,  who  was  very  ready  to 
come,  and  William  brought  a  friend,  whom  he  intro- 
duced as  "  My  messmate,  Toby  Trundle."  His  name 
was  a  curious  one — at  first  I  did  not  suppose  that  it 
was  anything  but  a  nickname — and  he  himself  was 
one  of  the  oddest  little  fellows  I  ever  met.  From  the 
first  glance  I  had  of  him,  I  fancied  that  he  was  rather 
a  young  companion"  for  my  brother,  but  a  second  look 
showed  me  that  he  was  fully  his  age.  We  had  hired  a 
craft,  a  schooner-rigged,  half-decked  boat,  about  five- 
and-twenty  feet  long,  with  a  well  aft,  in  which  we 
could  sit  comfortably  enough.  She  was  not  a  bad 
boat  for  smooth  water,  but  if  caught  in  a  heavy  sea, 
very  likely  to  drown  all  on  board. 

Our  crew  consisted  of  a  Frenchman,  Paul  Jacotot, 
the  owner  of  the  Dore,  as  our  craft  was  called,  his  son 
Auguste,  a  boy  of  thirteen,  and  Jack  Nobs,  a  boy  I 
brought  from  the  Barbara.  The  Frenchman  was  to 
act  as  pilot  and  cook.  The  boys  were  to  scrape  the 
potatoes — or  rather  prepare  the  yams,  for  we  had  none 
of  the  former  root — and  tend  the  head- sheets.  A 
boatswain's  mate,  Sam  Kelson,  who  had  been  in 
hospital,  had  been  allowed  to  accompany  the  midship- 


84  James  Braithwaite. 

men  before  returning  on  bpard.  The  two  midshipmen 
were  to  act  as  officers.  0' Carroll,  whom  they  did  not 
know  was  a  sailor,  and  I,  were  to  be  passengers,  and 
the  rest  of  the  party  were  rated  as  crew.  We  had  laid 
in  all  sorts  of  provisions,  an  ample  supply  for  the  few 
days  we  were  to  be  away.  Port  Louis,  it  must  be 
remembered,  is  on  the  north  side  of  the  island,  and  we 
had  agreed  to  make  our  cruise  to  the  eastward,  where 
there  are  some  small  islands — Gunners  Coin  and  Flat 
Island.  If  the  wind  should  prove  favourable  we  hoped 
to  circumnavigate  the  island.  With  a  fair  breeze  off 
the  land,  and  Le  Pouce  seen  standing  up  astern  beyond 
the  town,  we  sailed  out  of  the  harbour,  the  weather 
being  as  fine  as  heart  could  desire.  William  and  Toby 
Trundle  took  it  by  turns  to  steer,  Jacotot  pointing  out 
the  dangers  to  be  avoided,  for  we  kept  close  in  shore 
for  the  sake  of  the  scenery.  Toby  Trundle  sat  aft 
steering,  looking,  in  a  broad-brimmed  straw  hat,  a 
white  jacket  and  trowsers,  contrasting  with  his  sun- 
burnt complexion,  more  like  a  monkey  than  a  midship- 
man. Jacotot,  when  not  engaged  in  any  culinary 
matter  below,  was  jabbering  away  at  a  rapid  rate  to 
us,  if  we  would  listen ;  if  not,  he  was  addressing  his 
son,  whom  he  kept  constantly  on  the  move,  now 
scolding,  now  praising  with  terms  of  tender  endear- 
ment. 

We  enjoyed  ourselves,  and  lunched  and  dined  with 
great  contentment,  voting  Jacotot  a  first-rate  chef, 
which  he  undoubtedly  was.  He  was,  however,  a 
better  cook  than  seaman  we  before  long  discovered. 


In  Troubled  Waters.  85 

"  The  next  prize  we  take  I  hope  that  we  shall  find 
some  cooks  on  board ;  we  must  secure  one  for  our 
mess,"  observed  Toby,  helping  himself  to  one  of  the 
dishes  Jacotot  had  sent  aft.  I  had  not  been  long  on 
board  before  I  found  out,  what  seemed  to  have  escaped 
the  midshipmen's  observation  when  they  hired  the 
boat,  that  the  rigging  was  sadly  rotten,  and  that  she 
herself  was  in  a  somewhat  leaky  condition.  They, 
however,  only  laughed  at  the  leaking.  "  It  will  keep 
the  boat  sweet,  and  give  Jack  Nobs  and  Auguste 
something  to  do,"  observed  Master  Trundle,  cocking 
his  "eye  at  me.  Notwithstanding  this,  we  stood  on, 
the  breeze  shifting  conveniently  in  our  favour  till 
nightfall,  when  we  put  into  a  small  harbour,  the 
entrance  to  which  our  pilot  for  a  wonder  knew.  The 
next  day  we  continued  our  course,  landing  in  a  bay, 
up  which  we  ran  to  have  a  look  at  the  country,  and 
to  get  some  goat's  milk  and  fruit.  We  found  a  small 
farm,  the  only  white  people  being  an  old-fashioned 
Frenchman,  with  a  somewhat  dingy  wife,  and  two 
grown-up  daughters.  All  the  rest  of  the  people  were 
either  brown  Orientals  or  black  Africans.  The  old 
Frenchman  was  very  civil,  merely  shrugged  his 
shoulders  when  he  saw  our  flag,  and  observed  that  it 
was  the  fortune  of  war,  and  that,  as  we  were  the  most 
numerous,  France  had  'lost  no  honour,  though  she  lost 
the  dependency.  He  supplied  us  for  a  trifle  with  a 
bottle  of  goat's  milk,  and  as  many  melons,  pines,  and 
mangoes  as  we  could  manage  to  eat.  He  politely 
assisted  in  taking  them  down  to  the  boat.  As  he  did 


86  James  Braithwaite. 

so  lie  looked  round  the  horizon  seaward,  and  up  at  the 
sky.  "  Messieurs  will  do  well  to  remain  at  anchor  for 
a  few  hours  longer,"  he  observed.  "  We  are  going  to 
have  a  change  of  weather.  It  may  be  slight,  or  it  may 
be  very  great,  and  you  will  be  more  content  on  shore 
than  at  sea."  We  thanked  him  for  his  advice,  but  the 
midshipmen  asserting  that  if  we  stopped  they  might 
not  be  able  to  rejoin  their  ship  at  the  right  time,  it 
was  disregarded.  On  standing  out  again,  however,  we 
saw  that  the  hope  of  getting  round  the  island  was 
vain,  and  that  our  surest  course  would  be  to  return  by 
the  way  we  had  come.  The  weather  soon  changed  ; 
ugly  clouds  collected  and  came  sweeping  up  from  the 
west  and  south,  though  as  yet  but  little  wind  filled 
our  sails. 

"  I  am  afraid  that  we  are  going  to  have  a  storm," 
I  observed. 

"Oh,  no  fear;    I    don't  think   that   there   will  be 
anything  in  it,"  answered  Toby  Trundle. 

"  I  think  that  there'll  be  a  great  deal  in  it,  and  I 
would  advise  you  gentlemen  to  make  the  best  of  your 
way  back  to  the  bay  we  have  just  left,"  said  O'Carroll. 
The  midshipmen  looked  at  him  as  much  as  to  say, 
What  do  you  know  about  the  matter  ?  Jacotot  was 
too  busy  cooking  an  omelette  to  attend  to  the  weather, 
or  he  should  have  warned  us.  The  question  was 
settled  by  a  sudden  gust  which  came  off  the  land,  and 
laid  the  boat  on  her  beam-ends.  I  thought  we  were 
going  to  capsize,  and  so  we  should,  but  crack  away 
went  both  our  masts,  and  the  boat  righted,  one-third 


In   Troubled  Waters.  87 

full  of  water.  We  all  looked  at  each  other  for  a 
moment  aghast.  It  was  a  mercy  that  no  one  was 
washed  overboard.  A  second  and  stronger  gust 
followed  the  first,  and  on  drove  the  boat  helplessly 
before  it.  "  You'll  pump  and  bale  out  the  water, 
and  get  on  board  the  wreck  of  the  masts,"  said 
0 'Carroll,  quietly. 

We  followed  his  advice  as  best  we  could.  Jacotot, 
who  was  attending  to  his  little  stove  below  when  the 
squall  struck  us,  popped  up  his  head  with  his  white 
nightcap  on,  and  his  countenance  so  ludicrously  ex- 
pressive of  dismay  that,  in  spite  of  the  danger  we 
were  in,  Trundle  burst  into  a  fit  of  laughter.  The 
Frenchman  had  not  time  to  get  out  before  the  vessel 
righted.  He  now  emerged  completely,  and  frantic- 
ally seizing  his  cap,  tore  it  off  his  head  and  threw  it 
into  the  boiling  water.  He  then  joined  in  hauling  on 
board  the  wreck  of  the  rigging. 

"  If  we  are  to  save  our  lives  we  must  forthwith  rig 
a  jurymast,  so  as  to  keep  the  boat  before  the  gale," 
observed  0 'Carroll. 

With  the  aid  of  a  wood-axe  we  knocked  out  the 
stump  of  the  foremast,  and  making  a  fresh  heel  to 
the  broken  spar,  managed,  in  spite  of  the  rolling  of 
the  boat,  to  slip  it  into  its  place.  This  was  done  not 
a  moment  too  soon.  The  wind  increased  so  rapidly, 
and  blew  with  such  fearful  violence,  that  we  should 
have  been  unable  to  accomplish  the  task,  though  as 
yet  there  wras  not  much  sea. 

0 'Carroll  showed  that  he  was  a  man  for  an  emer- 


88  James  Braithwaite* 

gency.  "  This  will  be  more  than  a  gale,"  he  observed ; 
"  it  will  be  a  regular  hurricane !  we  may  expect  that. 
But  still,  if  we  manage  properly,  we  may  save  our 
lives." 

Close-reefing  the  foresail,  we  got  it  ready  to  hoist 
as  a  square  sail ;  the  rest  of  the  spars  we  lashed  fore 
and  aft  on  either  side,  while  we  cut  up  the  mainsail 
and  raised  the  gunwale  a  foot  or  more  all  round  to 
help  keep  out  the  water.  We  also,  as  far  as  we  could, 
covered  in  the  after-part  of  the  little  craft.  While  we 
were  thus  engaged  the  boys  were  pumping  and  baling, 
This  task  was  scarcely  accomplished  before  the  wind 
had  blown  us  helplessly  so  far  off  the  land  that  we 
became  exposed  to  the  full  violence  of  the  sea,  which 
had  rapidly  risen.  The  water  was  leaping  on  every 
side  tumultuously — the  foam  flying  in  thick  masses 
off  it — each  sea,  as  it  rose  high  above  our  heads, 
threatening  to  overwhelm  us. 

We  gazed  wistfully  at  the  land  which  we  had  so 
unwisely  left,  but  we  had  no  power  of  returning 
there.  Our  only  prospect  of  passing  amidst  the  heavy 
seas  now  rolling  around  us  was  to  hoist  our  sail  and 
scud  before  the  wind. 

O'Carroll  now  took  the  helm.  "I  have  had  more 
experience  in  these  seas  than  you,  young  gentlemen, 
and  the  slightest  want  of  care  may  send  such  a  craft 
as  this  to  the  bottom  !  "  he  observed. 

Without  a  word,  they  set  to  work  to  pump  and 
bale.  Even  Trundle  grew  serious.  Jacotot  every 
now  and  then  stopped  pumping  or  baling,  or  what- 


In   Troubled  Wattrs.  89 

ever  he  was  about,  and  pulled  his  hair,  and  made  a 
hideous  face,  scolded  Auguste,  telling  him  to  depechez 
vites,  and  then  set  to  work  himself  harder  than  ever. 
The  English  seamen  worked  away  without  saying  a 
word  beyond  what  was  absolutely  necessary.  Jack 
Nobs  behaved  very  well,  but  cried  in  sympathy  when 
Auguste  was  scolded.  The  latter  always  blubbered 
on  till  his  father  ceased  speaking.  I  could  not  help 
remarking  what  I  have  described,  notwithstanding 
the  fearful  danger  we  were  running.  The  sky  was 
of  an  almost  inky  hue,  while  the  sea  was  of  the  colour 
of  lead,  frosted  over  with  the  driving  spray  torn  off 
from  the  summits  of  the  tossing  seas  by  the  fury  of 
the  wind.  Our  stump  of  a  mast,  as  well  as  our  sail, 
had  been  well  secured,  though  I  dreaded  every  instant 
to  see  the  ring-bolts,  to  which  the  ropes  had  been 
made  fast,  dragged  out  of  the  sides,  and  the  rotten 
boat  torn  to  pieces. 

Thus  on  we  flew,  right  into  the  Indian  Ocean, 
though  in  what  direction  we  could  only  guess,  for 
our  compass,  like  everything  belonging  to  the  craft, 
was  defective.  Intending  only  to  make  a  coasting 
trip,  we  had  no  chart,  except  one  of  the  island  from 
which  we  were  now  being  driven  rapidly  away.  To 
be  in  a  gale  of  wind  on  board  a  stout  ship  in  the 
open  sea,  is  a  fine  thing  once  in  one's  life,  but  to  have 
to  sit  in  a  rotten  boat,  with  a  hurricane  driving  her, 
one  knows  not  where,  across  the  ocean,  is  a  very 
different  matter.  Our  only  prospect  of  saving  our 
lives,  humanly  speaking,  was  to  keep  the  boat  dead 


go  James  Braithwaile. 

before  the  wind ;  a  moment's  careless  steering  might 
have  caused  our  destruction. 

We  were  all  so  busy  in  pumping  or  baling  that  we 
had  no  time  to  watch  each  other's  countenances,  or 
we  might  have  seen  alarm  and  anxiety  depicted  on 
them  as  the  rising  seas  came  following  up  astern, 
threatening  to  engulf  us.  I  felt  for  the  young  brother 
who  was  with  me,  so  lighthearted  and  merry,  and  yet 
so  little  perpared  for  the  eternity  into  which  any 
moment  we  might  be  plunged.  After  fervent  inward 
prayer,  my  own  mind  was  comforted,  so  much  so  that 
I  was  able  to  speak  earnest  words,  not  only  to  my 
young  brother,  but  to  the  others.  Trundle  and  Jack 
looked  very  serious,  but  rather  bewildered,  as  if  they 
could  not  comprehend  what  was  said. 

Such  is,  I  fear,  too  often  the  case  under  such  circum- 
stances. I  remembered  how,  a  few  days  before,  I  had 
seen  Mason  praying  at  a  time  of  the  utmost  extremity, 
and  I  urged  my  companions  to  pray  for  themselves. 
Jacotot  was  the  only  person  who  seemed  averse  to 
listen  to  the  word  of  truth.  Though  he  had  raged 
and  pulled  his  hair  with  grief  at  the  injury  done  to 
his  vessel,  he  could  not  bring  himself  to  care  for  any- 
thing beyond  the  passing  moment.  But  while  the 
rest  grew  calm  and  resigned,  he  became  more  and  more 
agitated  and  alarmed.  In  each  sea  which  rolled  up 
after  us  in  the  distance  he  saw  the  messenger  which 
was  to  summon  him  to  destruction.  Poor  little 
Auguste  could  only  cry  with  fear  of  the  undefined. 
He  had  never  been  taught  to  believe  in  anything, 


In  Troubled  Waters.  91 

and  tlms  he  could  not  even  believe  in  the  reality  of 
death  till  he  was  in  its  grasp. 

Under  the  circumstances  in  which  we  were  placed, 
people  can  talk  but  little,  though  the  thoughts  crowd 
through  the  mind  with  frightful  rapidity.  Unless 
when  occupied,  we  for  most  of  the  time  sat  silent, 
watching  the  ocean.  Night  was  coming  on,  and  the 
fury  of  the  tempest  had  in  no  way  decreased.  It 
was  difficult  to  steer  in  the  daytime — it  was  doubly 
difficult  and  dangerous  at  night.  After  O'Carroll  had 
been  steering  for  some  time,  Trundle  begged  that  he 
might  again  take  the  helm. 

"  Trust  me,"  he  said,  "  I  have  been  in  a  gale  of 
wind  in  an  open  boat  before  now,  and  know  how  to 
steer  carefully." 

"But  you've  not  steered  in  a  hurricane  in  the 
Indian  seas,  Mr.  Trundle,"  answered  O'Carroll.  "  Any 
moment  the  wind  may  shift  round,  and  if  we  were  to 
be  taken  aback,  it  would  be  all  over  with  us.  As 
long  as  I  can  keep  my  eyes  open  I'll  stay  where  I  am, 
if  you  please."  And  O'Carroll  was  as  good  as  his 
word ;  hour  after  hour  he  sat  there,  as  we  rushed  on 
up  and  down  the  watery  hills  through  the  pitchy 
darkness — it  was  indeed  a  long,  long  night.  Though 
we  had  eaten  nothing  since  the  hurricane  came  on, 
we  were  all  of  us  rather  weary  than  hungry.  As  for 
sleepiness,  that  was  very  far  from  any  one.  When 
compelled  to  rest,  we  could  employ  our  thoughts  in 
little  else  than  wishing  for  daylight,  and  hoping  that 
the  storm  would  soon  cease.  It  was  a  relief  to  be 


g  2  James  Braithwaite. 

called  on  to  pump  or  bale,  for  the  increasing  leaks 
required  three  of  us  at  a  time  to  be  actively  engaged 
in  both  operations.  But  I  am  wrong  in  saying  that 
I  could  think  of  nothing  except  my  own  fearful  peril. 
Frequently  I  thought  of  my  dear  mother  and  other 
loved  ones  at  home.  The  thought  gave  me  comfort 
and  courage,  and  cheered  me  up  through  the  horrors 
of  the  night.  Daylight  came  at  last,  and  revealed  the 
tumultuous  ocean  on  every  side,  but  not  a  speck  of 
land  was  visible.  Trundle  was  the  first  to  exclaim 
that  he  was  hungry ;  but  to  light  a  fire  was  almost 
impossible,  and  even  Jacotot  could  not  have  cooked 
by  it  had  it  been  lighted.  We  managed,  however, 
to  serve  out  some  bread  and  the  old  Frenchman's  fruit 
to  all  hands,  and  then  we  had  to  turn  to  and  clear 
the  craft  of  water,  which  was  finding  its  way  in 
through  every  seam.  It  seemed  scarcely  possible  that 
she  could  float  much  longer,  should  the  hurricane 
continue,  with  the  violent  working  to  which  we  were 
exposed.  Had  we  been  stationary,  the  tempest  would 
have  passed  over  us ;  but  driven  along  with  it,  we  had 
for  a  much  longer  time  to  endure  its  fury.  It  seemed, 
indeed,  surprising  that  the  boat  should  have  floated  so 
long.  As  far  as  we  depended,  indeed,  on  our  own 
exertions,  the  most  careful  steering  could  alone  have 
saved  us.  We  had  been  longing  for  daylight ;  now 
that  it  had  come,  the  dangers  of  our  condition  ap- 
peared more  evident,  and  we  almost  wished  again 
for  night.  We  could  not  calculate,  either,  in  what 
direction  we  were  being  driven,  but  we  feared  it 


In   Troubled  Waters.  93 

might  be  where  rocks  and  coral  banks  and  islets 
abound,  and  that  at  any  moment  we  might  be  hurled 
on  one  of  them.  O'Carroll  still  sat  at  his  post.  I 
asked  if  he  did  not  feel  tired.  "  Maybe,  but  till  the 
gale  is  over,  here  I'll  stick !"  he  answered.  "  And  sure 
it's  as  pretty  a  sample  of  a  hurricane  as  any  of  you'll 
be  after  wishing  to  see  for  many  a  day  to  come." 

At  length,  towards  noon,  the  wind  began  to  fall, 
and  in  a  very  short  time,  though  it  still  blew  hard, 
and  the  sea  ran  almost  as  high  as  before,  and  was 
consequently  as  dangerous,  it  was  evident  that  the 
hurricane  was  over.  Our  hopes  revived.  Still,  we 
were  obliged  to  run  on  before  the  wind  ;  and  to  avoid 
the  danger  of  being  pooped  by  the  quickly-following 
sea,  we  had  to  hoist  more  of  our  sail :  indeed,  we  now 
dreaded  not  having  wind  enough  to  avoid  the  sea. 
Thus  passed  the  day,  and  before  nightfall  we  were 
rolling  on  a  tolerably  smooth  swell  with  a  moderate 
breeze.  Still  we  had  to  exert  ourselves  as  before  to 
keep  the  boat  afloat.  The  moment,  however,  that 
one  of  us  was  relieved  at  the  pump  or  baling  bucket, 
he  dropped  off  to  sleep.  I  was  even  afraid,  at  first, 
that  we  should  all  go  to  sleep  together.  Nothing, 
indeed,  for  some  hours  could  rouse  up  the  two  boys. 
My  young  brother  and  Trundle  were,  however,  after 
a  short  snooze,  as  lively  as  ever,  and  as  merry  too. 
Midshipmen-like,  they  did  not  seem  to  trouble  them- 
selves about  the  future.  I,  however,  still  felt  very 
anxious  about  it.  The  Southern  Cioss  and  many 
another  bright  constellation  not  long  familiar  to  my 


94  James  Braithwaite. 

eyes  were  shining  forth  in  the  clear  sky.  Had  we 
known  our  position,  even  though  we  had  no  compass, 
we  might  have  shaped  a  course  for  the  Mauritius. 
We  calculated  that  we  had  been  driven  two  hundred 
miles  away  from  it  in  the  direction  of  the  equator. 
Should  we  steer  south  we  were  as  likely  to  miss  as  to 
find  it.  We  proposed,  therefore,  to  steer  to  the  west, 
knowing  that  we  must  thus  reach  some  part  of  the 
coast  of  Madagascar,  where  the  English  had  at  that 
time  a  fort  and  a  garrison.  "But  we  must  have  our 
craft  rigged  before  we  talk  of  the  course  we'll  steer," 
observed  O'Carroll,  who  at  that  moment  awoke  from 
a  long  sleep.  With  the  morning  light  we  set  to  work 
to  fit  a  mainmast,  and  to  rig  the  boat  as  best  we 
could.  There  was  a  light  breeze,  but  as  it  was  from 
the  west  we  lay  without  any  canvas  set. 

While  all  hands  were  busily  employed  fitting  the 
rigging,  I  looked  up  and  saw  a  brig  under  all  sail  ap- 
proaching us  at  no  great  distance.  Beyond  her  was 
another  vessel,  a  ship — I  pointed  her  out.  O'Carroll 
took  the  telescope. 

"  She's  an  English  vessel  chased  by  an  enemy,"  he  ob- 
served. "  She'll  not  stop  to  help  us,  so  the  closer  we  lie 
the  better."  He  kept  after  this  continually  taking  up  the 
glass  for  some  time,  when  suddenly  he  exclaimed,  "  As 
I'm  an  Irishman,  it's  that  villain  La  Roche  again  !  " 

His  countenance  fell  as  he  spoke.  He  handed  me 
the  glass — I  took  a  steady  look  at  the  ship,  and  had 
little  doubt  that  it  was  our  old  antagonist  the 
Miynonne  in  sight. 


CHAPTER  VII 

" BREAKERS  AHEAD !  " 

/~\TJR  chief  hope  of  escaping  an  unpleasant  examina- 
^-^  tion  by  the  pirate  existed  in  the  possibility  that 
we  had  not  been  observed  from  her  deck.  Had  we 
had  any  sail  set  we  could  not  fail  to  have  been  so. 
Not,  we  knew,  that  so  small  a  craft  as  ours  would  be 
considered  worth  overhauling  ;  but  in  case  we  might 
give  information  of  the  pirate's  whereabouts,  it  might 
be  thought  expedient  to  put  us  out  of  the  way.  So 
we  feared.  We  therefore  watched  the  progress  of  the 
Mignonne  and  the  brig  with  intense  interest,  earnestly 
hoping  that  the  latter  would  lead  the  pirate  a  long 
chase  before  she  was  captured,  if  she  could  not  escape 
altogether,  which  of  course  we  hoped  she  would.  La 
Roche  had  certainly  managed  to  inspire  O'Carroll  with 
an  extraordinary  dread  and  hatred  of  him,  for  brave 
and  calm  in  danger  as  our  friend  had  lately  shown  him- 
self to  be,  he  was  now  completely  unnerved,  and  I  saw 
him  crouching  down  in  the  boat  as  if,  even  had  she 
been  seen,  he  could  have  been  distinguished.  On 
sailed  the  brig ;  gradually  her  sails  began  to  disappear 
below  the  horizon.  The  pirate  still  continued  the 
chase.  For  some  time  no  one  in  the  boat  thought  of 


g5  "  James  Braithwaite. 

working.  We  were  roused  up  by  finding  that  the 
water  was  rapidly  gaining  on  us,  and  we  all  had  to 
turn  to  and  pump  and  bale  harder  than  ever.  We 
were  in  hopes  that  after  all  the  brig  might  escape, 
when  the  boom  of  a  gun  came  over  the  water,  followed 
by  another  and  another.  It  was  too  probable  that  the 
pirate  had  got  her  within  range.  Both  vessels  had 
now  disappeared  below  the  horizon,  at  the  same  time 
the  wind  where  we  were  had  completely  died  away. 
As  far  as  the  pirate  was  concerned,  we  began  to  breathe 
more  freely ;  it  was  not  likely  that  he  would  again 
pass  near  us.  But  the  sun  shone  forth  from  the  clear 
sky  with  intense  heat,  roasting  our  heads  and  the  brains 
within  them,  and  making  whatever  pitch  remained 
between  the  planks  of  our  deck  bubble  up  as  if  it  had 
been  boiling.  There  we  lay,  our  boat  rolling  from 
side  to  side,  without  a  particle  of  shade  to  shelter  us. 
Our  little  cabin  was  like  an  oven.  When  we  were  to 
rest  it  became  simply  a  question  whether  in  making 
the  attempt  we  should  be  roasted  on  deck  or  baked 
below.  We  had  not  much  time  for  idleness  yet : 
though  we  worked  very  hard,  it  was  not  till  nightfall 
that  our  rigging  was  set  up  sufficiently  to  enable  us  to 
make  sail. 

When  the  sun  set  there  was  not  a  breath  of  air, 
while  the  surface  of  the  ocean  was  as  smooth  as  a 
sheet  of  glass,  though  every  now  and  then  a  swell 
rose  under  the  boat's  keel,  making  her  roll  for  ten 
minutes  afterwards,  while  it  glided  slowly  away  in 
the  distance.  The  only  sounds  were  the  clank  of  the 


"Breakers  Ahead!"  97 

pump  and  the  dash  of  water  from  the  scuppers  or 
buckets,  and  an  occasional  snort  of  some  huge  fish,  or 
the  splash  it  made  when  plunging  down  into  its  liquid 
home.  Thus  the  hours  of  the  night  passed  away.  We 
were  so  weary  and  sleepy  that  the  instant  we  were 
relieved  from  the  pump  we  lay  down  and  were  lost  in 
forgetfulness.  The  day  broke,  the  sun  rose  higher  and 
higher,  and  beat  hotter  and  hotter,  and  all  around  us 
was  the  same  smooth,  glassy  ocean.  Now  and  then 
the  surface  was  broken  by  a  flight  of  flying  fish  as 
they  rose  out  of  it  and  darted  along  through  the  air, 
glittering  bright  in  the  sunbeams,  like  a  covey  of 
silver  birds. 

"Ah,  now!  if  some  of  you  would  just  have  the 
goodness  to  come  aboard  here,  you  would  serve  us 
nicely  for  breakfast,"  exclaimed  Trundle,  as  he  ob- 
served them. 

He  had  scarcely  spoken  when  upwards  of  a  dozen 
out  of  a  large  shoal  leaped,  or  flew  rather,  right  in 
among  us,  while  as  many  more  passed  clean  over  the 
boat.  It  was  a  curious  coincidence,  and  at  all  events 
afforded  us  not  only  a  substantial,  but  a  very  delicious 
meal,  cooked  by  the  skilful  hands  of  Monsieur  Jacotot. 
It  put  us-  all  in  good  spirits,  and  we  began  to  look  at  the 
future  in  a  tolerably  hopeful  spirit,  till  my  midship- 
man brother  exclaimed, — 

"  I  say,  if  this  sun  lasts  much  longer,  what  shall  we 
do  for  grub  ?  The  sea-pie  we  have  brought  has  gone 
bad,  and  1  am  afraid  that  the  beef  and  pork  won't 
keep  good  many  hours  out  of  the  brine." 

7 


9 8  James  Braithwaile. 

"  You  may  put  them  in  the  past  instead  of  the 
future  tense,  my  boy,"  observed  Trundle,  who  had 
been  examining  the  lockers  ;  "  I  doubt  if  any  stomach 
with  less  powers  than  a  shark's  could  swallow  a  bit  of 
the  meat  we  have  got  on  board." 

"  Then  on  what  have  we  got  to  exist  till  we  can 
reach  the  shore  ? "  I  asked,  with  a  feeling  of  serious 
anxiety. 

"  Why,"  answered  William,  "we  have  biscuits  and 
half  a  cheese — at  least  we  had  half  when  we  sailed, 
but  it  is  rather  gone — and  a  few  mangoes,  and 
bananas,  and  plantains,  and  a  melon  or  two,  and  some 
tea  and  coffee,  and  sugar.  I  am  afraid  we  haven't 
much  else,  except  a  cask  of  water,  and  that  was  rather 
leaky,  like  this  craft." 

"  Then  let  us  look  to  the  cask,  gentlemen,"  said 
O'Carroll.  "  And  don't  throw  the  meat  away,  putrid 
though  it  may  be.  The  Frenchman  may  cook  it  so  as 
to  make  it  go  down,  and  we  don't  know  how  hard  we 
may  be  pressed  for  food." 

The  water-cask  was  examined,  happily  not  alto- 
gether too  late,  but  a  third  of  the  precious  liquid  had 
run  out.  I  said  nothing,  but  sad  forebodings  filled  my 
mind.  Even  with  a  compass  to  steer  by  and  a  good 
breeze  to  carry  us  along,  we  might  be  several  days 
reaching  Port  Louis,  or,  indeed,  any  habitable  coast 
we  could  make.  We  might  be  kept  out  much  longer, 
and  then  how  could  we  exist  ?  We  could  scarcely 
hope  that  another  covey  of  flying  fish  would  come  on 
board,  though  we  might  catch  some  others  if  we  could 


"Breakers  Ahead!"  99 

manufacture  hooks,  for  I  was  afraid  we  had  none  on 
board.  This  calm  might  continue  for  a  week,  and 
then  we  might  have  another  gale,  for  we  were  in  the 
hurricane  season.  I  advised  that  we  should  at  once 
go  on  an  allowance  of  food  and  water,  a  suggestion 
which  was,  of  course,  adopted.  We  had  no  fishing 
lines  or  hooks  on  board  ;  a  bit  of  an  old  file  was,  how- 
ever, discovered,  and  with  it  and  a  hammer  Jacotot 
undertook  to  make  some  hooks,  while  Kelson  spun 
some  fine  yarn  for  lines. 

"  I  shall  have  plenty  of  time,"  observed  the  French- 
man, with  a  wan  smile  and  a  shrug  of  the  shoulders, 
"  for  without  the  fish  I  shall  have  nothing  to  cook." 

Two  days  passed,  and  though  the  hooks  were  in  use 
we  caught  nothing,  and  some  of  the  party  began  to 
wish  that  the  pirate  had  picked  us  up.  Two  clays 
more  passed :  matters  had  become  very  serious. 
Hunger  was  gnawing  at  our  insides,  and  what  seemed 
even  worse,  thirst  was  parching  our  lips  and  throats. 
With  the  intense  heat  we  were  enduring,  gallons  of 
water  would  scarcely  have  satisfied  us,  and  we  each 
had  but  a  small  wineglass  full  three  times  a  day. 
When  that  was  gone,  as  long  as  our  fuel  lasted  we 
could  get  a  little  water  by  condensing  the  steam  from 
our  kettle.  Our  thirst  became  intolerable;  yet  the 
few  drops  we  did  get  kept  us,  I  believe,  alive.  I  do 
not  wish  to  dwell  on  that  time.  My  own  sufferings 
were  great,  but  they  were  increased  by  seeing  those  of 
my  young  brother  and  his  lighthearted  companion, 
both  of  them  about,  as  I  feared,  to  pass  away  from  the 


IOO  James  Braithwaite. 

world  they  had  "found  so  enjoyable.  The  sun  rose, 
and  set,  and  rose  again,  and  each  day  it  appeared  to 
send  down  its  heat  with  an  increased  intensity  of 
strength  as  we  grew  weaker  and  weaker.  A  new 
danger  threatened  us :  we  could  even  now  scarcely 
keep  the  boat  clear  of  water ;  should  our  strength  fail 
altogether,  as  seemed  but  too  probable,  she  would  sink 
below  us.  Our  lot  was  that  which  many  poor  seamen 
have  endured,  but  that  did  not  make  it  more  support- 
able to  us. 

Our  last  particle  of  food  had  been  eaten,  the  last 
drop  of  water  nearly  exhausted.  The  strongest  might 
endure  for  a  day  or  two,  the  weakest  ones  must  sink 
within  a  few  hours.  Even  O'Carroll,  strong  as  he 
seemed,  was  giving  way.  He  sat  dull  and  uncon- 
scious, his  eyes  meaningless,  only  arousing  himself  by 
a  great  effort.  My  brother's  head  rested  on  my  arm, 
and  I  was  moistening  his  lips  with  the  few  drops 
obtained  from  the  cask.  Suddenly  Kelson,  who  had 
been  gazing  round  the  horizon,  started  up,  crying  out, 
"  A  breeze  !  a  breeze  !  I  see  it  coming  over  the  water ! u 

I  turned  my  eyes  to  the  west,  the  direction  to  which 
he  pointed.  There  I  saw  a  dark-blue  line  quickly 
advancing  towards  us.  Even  already,  on  either  side, 
cat's-paws  were  to  be  seen  just  touching  the  surface, 
then  vanishing  again,  once  more  to  appear  in  a  dif- 
ferent direction  as  the  light  currents  of  air,  precursors 
of  the  main  body  of  the  wind,  touched  the  surface. 
The  effect  on  our  fainting  party  was  magical;  even 
the  poor  boys  tried  to  lift  up  their  languid  eyes  to 


" Breakers  Ahead!"  101 

look  around.  Another  shout  from  Kelson  a  few 
minutes  afterwards  roused  us  all  still  more.  "  A  sail  ! 
a  sail !  She's  standing  this  way  too  !  " 

Even  Jacotot,  who  had  completely  given  way  to 
despair,  started  to  his  feet  at  the  sound,  and,  weak 
though  he  was,  performed  such  strange  antics  ex- 
pressive of  his  joy  on  the  little  deck  that  I  thought 
he  would  have  gone  overboard. 

"  If  you've  got  all  that  life  in  you,  Mounseer,  just 
turn  to  at  the  pump  again  and  make  some  use  of  it, 
instead  of  jigging  away  like  an  overgrown  jacka- 
napes ! "  growled  out  Kelson,  who  held  the  poor 
Frenchman  in  great  contempt  for  having  knocked 
under,  as  he  called  it,  so  soon. 

Jacotot  gave  another  skip  or  two,  and  then,  seizing 
the  pump-handle,  or  break,  as  it  is  called,  burst  into 
tears.  The  two  midshipmen  and  boys  soon  relapsed 
into  their  former  state,  while  O'Carroll  seemed  to  for- 
get that  relief  was  approaching,  till  on  a  sudden  the 
idea  seized  him  that  the  stranger  which  was  now 
rapidly  nearing  us  was  no  other  than  the  Mignonne, 
though  she  had  been  last  seen  in  an  opposite  direction, 
and  there  had  been  a  dead  calm  ever  since.  "  Arrah  ! 
we'll  all  be  murdered  entirely  by  that  thief  of  the 
world,  La  Roche,  bad  luck  to  him !  "  he  cried  out, 
wringing  his  hands.  "  It  was  an  unlucky  day  that  I 
ever  cast  eyes  on  his  ugly  face  for  the  first  time,  and 
now  he's  after  coming  back  again  to  pick  me  up  in 
the  middle  of  the  Indian  Ocean,  just  as  a  big  black 
crow  does  a  worm  out  of  a  turnip-field ! " 


IO2  James  Braithwaite. 

In  vain  I  tried  to  argue  him  out  of  the  absurdity  of 
his  notion.  He  turned  sharply  round  on  me. 

"  It's  desaving  me  now  ye  are,  and  that  isn't  the 
part  of  a  true  friend,  Mr.  James  Braithwaite  !  "  he  ex- 
claimed. "  Just  try  how  he'll  treat  you,  and  then  tell 
me  how  you  like  his  company." 

I  saw  that  there  was  not  the  slightest  use  reasoning 
with  him,  but  that  it  would  be  necessary  to  watch 
him,  lest  in  his  frenzy  he  should  jump  overboard.  As 
the  dreadful  idea  came  on  me  that  he  might  do  so,  I 
saw  the  black  fin  of  the  seaman's  sworn  foe,  a  shark, 
gliding  toward  us,  and  a  pair  of  sharp  eyes  looking 
wistfully  up  towards  me,  so  I  fancied,  as  if  the  creature 
considered  the  leaky  boat  and  its  contents  a  dainty 
dish  prepared  for  his  benefit.  It  made  me  set  to  work 
to  bale  with  all  the  strength  I  could  muster.  Seeing 
me  so  employed,  0 'Carroll  for  a  moment  forgot  his 
mad  idea,  and  followed  my  example.  Often  and  often 
I  turned  my  gaze  towards  the  approaching  ship.  It 
seemed  even  still  open  to  doubt  whether  she  would 
pass  near  enough  to  observe  us. 

At  length  the  breeze  reached  us,  and  hoisting  our 
sails  as  well  as  our  strength  would  allow,  we  stood  in 
a  direction  to  come  across  the  course  the  stranger  was 
steering.  I  told  Kelson,  in  a  whisper,  to  assist  me  in 
keeping  a  watch  on  O'Carroll,  for  as  we  drew  nearer  the 
stranger,  so  did  his  uneasiness  increase,  and  he  was 
evidently  still  under  the  impression  that  she  was  the 
dreaded  Mlgnonne.  William  and  Trundle  looked  at 
her  with  lack-lustre  eyes.  I  asked  Kelson  what  he 


"Breakers  Ahead!"  103 

thought  she  was.  "  A  small  Chinaman,  or  a  store-ship, 
maybe,  sir,"  he  answered.  "  She's  English,  certainly, 
by  the  cut  of  her  sails." 

"You  hear  what  he  says,"  I  observed  to  O'Oarroll. 
"  I  think  the  same  myself.  We  shall  be  treated  as 
friends  when  we  get  on  board." 

"Ye  are  after  desaving  me,  I  know  ye  are,"  cried 
the  poor  fellow,  turning  round  and  giving  a  reproach- 
ful glance  at  me.  "  Don't  ye  see  the  ugly  villain  La 
Roche  himself  standing  on  the  cathead  ready  to  order 
his  crew  of  imps  to  fire  as  soon  as  we  get  within  range 
of  their  guns  ? " 

This  notion  so  tickled  Kelson's  fancy  that  he  fairly 
burst  into  a  fit  of  laughter,  in  which  I  and  the  rest  of 
the  party  faintly  joined,  from  very  weakness,  for  most 
of  them  had  not  heard  what  was  said.  Even  O'Cairoll 
himself  imitated  us.  Suddenly  he  stopped.  "  It's  no 
laughing  matter,  though,  let  me  tell  you,"  he  observed 
gravely,  after  some  time  had  elapsed,  and  the  stranger 
had  neared  us  so  that  we  could  see  the  people  on  deck. 
"  But  where's  La  Roche  ?  Oh,  I  see,  he's  aft  there, 
grinning  at  us  as  usual."  He  pointed  to  a  most  re- 
spectable-looking old  gentleman,  who  was,  I  supposed, 
the  master  of  the  ship. 

"  You  are  mistaken  in  that,"  said  I,  feeling  the  im- 
portance of  keeping  him  quiet  till  he  could  be  got  on 
board.  "  If  that  is  the  Mignonne,  she  has  been 
captured,  and  is  in  possession  of  a  British  crew.  You'll 
see  that  I  am  right  directly." 

The  ship  was  shortening  sail  as  I  spoke.     We  were 


IO4  James  Braithwaile* 

soon  alongside.  Even  at  a  distance  our  pitiable  con- 
dition had  been  observed.  We  were  one  after  the 
other  hoisted  on  deck,  for  even  Kelson  could  scarcely 
get  up  without  help.  I  gave  a  hint  to  the  doctor  to 
look  after  O'Carroll.  "I  am  right,"  I  remarked  to  my 
friend.  "If  La  Roche  is  on  board,  he  is  safe  under 
hatches ;  so  the  best  thing  you  can  do  is  to  turn  in, 
and  go  to  sleep.  You  want  rest  more  than  any  of  us." 

Led  by  the  surgeon,  he  went  quietly  below,  and  I 
hoped  with  soothing  medicine  and  sleep  would  be  soon 
all  to  rights  again. 

The  ship  proved  to  be,  not  what  Kelson  had  sup- 
posed, but  a  vessel  with  free  emigrants  bound  out  to 
the  rising  town  of  Sydney,  in  New  South  Wales — a 
colony  generally  called  Botany  Bay,  established  some 
few  years  before,  by  Captain  Phillips  of  the  navy, 
chiefly  with  convicts  and  the  necessary  soldiers  to. look 
after  them.  We  had  just  told  our  tale,  and  the  pas- 
sengers had  expressed  their  sympathy  for  us,  when  I 
heard  Jacotot  give  a  loud  cry  of  dismay.  On  looking 
over  the  side  the  cause  was  explained — the  masts  of 
our  unhappy  little  craft  were  just  disappearing  under 
the  surface.  This  was  the  natural  consequence  of  our 
neglecting  to  pump  her  out,  and  the  ship,  which  was 
going  ahead,  dragging  her  through  the  water,  when  of 
course  it  rushed  in  through  her  open  seams  with  re- 
doubled speed.  Poor  Jacotot  tore  his  hair  and  wrung 
his  hands,  and  wept  tears  of  grief  for  his  wretched 
craft;  but  he  did  not  gain  as  much  sympathy  as  would 
have  been  shown  him  had  he  been  more  quiet,  though 


"Breakers  Ahead!"  105 

our  new  friends  congratulated  us  the  more  warmly  in 
having  got  out  of  her  before  she  met  her  fate.  Food 
and  rest  quickly  set  most  of  us  to  rights,  and  the  fol- 
lowing day  William  and  Trundle  and  I  were  able  to 
take  our  places  at  the  cabin  table  with  the  rest  of  the 
passengers.  O' Carroll  was  kept  in  bed  with  fever, 
though  he  had  got  over  his  idea  that  La  Roche  was  on 
board.  The  old  gentleman  he  had  mistaken  for  him 
proved  to  be  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  who  had  been 
invited  to  accompany  a  party  of  the  emigrants. 

We  found  that  things  were  not  going  on  in  at  all 
a  satisfactory  way  on  board.  The  master  had  died 
before  the  ship  reached  the  Cape  :  the  first  officer,  Mr. 
Gregson,  who  had  now  charge,  was  obstinate  and  self- 
opinionated  when  sober,  and  he  was  very  frequently 
intoxicated ;  the  second  was  a  stupid  fellow  and  no 
navigator;  and  both  were  jealous  of  the  third,  who 
was  a  superior,  intelligent  young  man,  and  in  numerous 
ways  they  did  their  utmost  to  annoy  him.  This  ac- 
counted for  the  good  ship,  the  Kangaroo,  being  very 
much  out  of  her  proper  course,  which  was  far  to  the 
southward  of  where  she  picked  us  up.  Most  disastrous 
consequences  were  to  occur.  William  and  Trundle 
told  me  that  they  had  been  making  their  observations ; 
that  they  wondered  how  the  ship  had  got  thus  far, 
and  that  they  should  be  much  surprised  if  she  got 
much  farther.  A  very  large  proportion  of  the  ships 
cast  away  and  lives  sacrificed  are  so  in  consequence 
of  the  habitual  intoxication  of  the  masters  and  their 
officers.  I  venture  to  make  this  distinct  assertion  from 


io6  James  Braitkwaite* 

the  very  numerous  instances  I  have  known  and  heard 
of.  We  did  not  wish  to  alarm  the  passengers,  none  of 
whom  had  been  at  sea  before,  and  were  not  aware  of 
the  danger  they  were  running.  Had  our  schooner  still 
floated,  I  should  have  proposed  taking  her  to  the  first 
island  we  could  make  and  there  repairing  her.  We 
asked  Mr.  Gregson  if  he  would  undertake  to  land  us 
at  Port  Louis,  offering  him  at  the  same  time  payment 
if  he  would  do  so ;  but  he  positively  refused,  declaring 
that  nothing  should  induce  him  to  go  out  of  his  course, 
and  that  we  must  stick  to  the  ship  and  work  our  pas- 
sage till  she  reached  her  destination. 

Believing  that,  as  he  was  short-handed,  his  object  in 
detaining  us  was  to  get  more  hands  to  work  the  ship, 
this  we  positively  refused  to  do.  "  Very  well,  then, 
we'll  see  who  is  master  on  board  the  Kangaroo"  he 
replied,  with  an  oath.  "  You  tell  me  that  three  of  you 
belong  to  a  man-of-war ;  but  I  find  you  in  a  French 
boat,  and  how  do  I  know  that 'you  are  not  deserters  or 
convicts  ?  and  I'll  treat  you  as  such  if  you  don't  look 
out."  This  conduct  was  so  unexpected,  and  so  different 
from  the  kind  way  in  which  we  had  been  treated  by 
the  passengers,  that  we  did  not  know  what  to  say. 
We  agreed  to  wait  till  we  could  consult  O'Carroll ;  and 
Trundle  undertook  to  get  a  look  at  the  chart  the  cap- 
tain was  using,  and  to  try  and  find  out  where  he  had 
placed  the  ship.  The  wind  had  hitherto  continued 
very  light,  so  that  we  had  made  but  little  way  since 
we  came  on  board.  The  day  following  the  unpleasant 
conversation  I  have  described,  O'Carroll  was  so  much 


" Breakers  Ahead!"  107 

recovered  that  he  was  able  to  come  on  deck.  Though 
Irishmen  have  not  the  character  in  general  of  being 
good  seamen,  I  considered  from  what  I  had  seen  of 
him  that  he  was  an  exception  to  the  general  rule.  I 
told  him  what  we  had  remarked. 

"  When  the  time  comes  I'll  see  what  I  can  do,"  he 
answered ;  "  but  it  is  ticklish  work  interfering  with 
such  fellows  as  the  present  master  of  this  ship,  unless 
one  advises  the  very  thing  one  does  not  want  done." 

"  We  may  soon  require  the  exercise  of  your  skill,"  I 
remarked.  "  It  appears  to  me  that  there  will  speedily 
be  a  change  in  the  weather." 

"  Little  doubt  about  that,  and  we  shall  have  it  hot 
and  strong  again  soon,"  he  answered,  looking  round 
the  horizon. 

"  Not  another  hurricane,  I  hope,"  said  I. 

"  Not  quite  sure  about  that,"  he  answered.  "  Were 
I  master  of  this  ship  I  should  make  all  snug  for  it ; 
but  if  I  were  to  advise  Gregson  to  do  so,  he'd  only 
crack  on  more  sail  to  show  his  superior  seamanship. 
I've  had  a  talk  with  the  surgeon,  M'Dow,  a  very  decent 
sort  of  young  fellow,  and  so  I  know  the  man  we  have 
to  deal  with." 

An  hour  or  two  after  this,  the  wind  had  increased 
to  half  a  gale,  and  the  Kangaroo  was  tearing  away 
through  the  sea  with  a  great  deal  more  sail  than  a 
prudent  seaman  would  have  carried.  Unfortunately 
William  or  Trundle  had  remarked  that  it  was  much 
more  important  to  shorten  sail  on  the  appearance  of 
bad  weather  on  board  a  short-handed  merchantman, 


io8  James  Braithwaite. 

than  on  board  a  rnan-of-war  with  a  strong  crew.  I 
saw  O'Carroll  looking  anxiously  aloft,  and  then  again 
to  windward.  At  last  he  could  stand  it  no  longer. 

"  You'll  let  the  wind  take  the  topmasts  out  of  the 
ship  if  you  don't  look  out,  Captain  Gregson,"  he  re- 
marked. 

"  What  business  have  you  to  come  aboard  this  ship 
and  to  pretend  to  teach  me  ? "  answered  the  master, 
who  was  more  than  half  drunk.  "  If  you  do,  take  care. 
I'll  turn  you  out  of  her,  and  let  you  find  your  own 
way  ashore." 

While  he  was  speaking  a  loud  crack  was  heard,  and 
the  mizen-topmast  was  carried  over  the  side.  This 
made  him  order  the  crew  aloft  to  shorten  sail.  "  You 
go  too,  3'ou  lazy  youngsters ! "  he  exclaimed,  seeing 
William  and  Trundle  on  deck. 

They  sprung  up  the  rigging  without  a  word  of 
reply.  I  watched  them  with  great  anxiety,  for  the 
masts  bent  like  whips,  and  I  was  afraid  every  moment 
to  see  the  main  share  the  fate  of  the  mizen-mast,  to 
the  destruction  of  all  on  the  yards.  Still  the  master, 
as  if  indifferent  to  what  might  happen,  was  not  even 
looking  aloft.  The  two  midshipmen  had  just  reached 
the  top,  and  were  about  to  lie  along  the  yard,  when 
O'Carroll  shouted:  "Down,  all  of  you;  down,  for  your 
lives ! " 

His  voice  arrested  their  progress,  and  two  of  the 
men  already  on  the  yards  sprang  back  into  the  top ; 
but  the  warning  came  too  late  for  the  rest.  A  tre- 
mendous squall  struck  the  ship.  Over  she  heeled,  till 


"Breakers  Ahead!"  109 

the  lee  bulwarks  were  under  water.  A  loud  crash 
followed.  Away  went  the  main-topmast,  and  yard, 
and  struggling  sail,  carrying  six  human  beings  with  it. 
Five  were  hurled  off  into  the  now  foaming  sea.  We 
saw  them  for  an  instant  stretching  out  their  arms,  a? 
if  imploring  that  help  which  it  was  beyond  our  power 
to  give.  The  ship  dashed  onward,  leaving  them  far 
astern.  One  still  clung  to  the  rigging  towing  with 
the  spar  alongside.  The  ship  still  lay  almost  on  her 
beam-ends. 

O'Carroll  saw  the  possibility  of  saving  the  poor 
fellow.  Calling  out  to  me  to  lay  hold  of  a  rope,  one 
end  of  which  he  fastened  round  his  waist,  he  plunged 
overboard.  I  could  scarcely  have  held  it,  had  not 
William  and  Trundle  with  Kelson  come  to  my  assist- 
ance. O'Carroll  grasped  the  man.  "Haulaway!"  he 
shouted.  In  another  instant  he  was  on  board  again, 
with  the  man  in  his  arms.  The  helm  was  put  up,  the 
ship  righted,  the  man  had  got  off  the  foreyard,  and  away 
the  ship  flew,  with  the  foretop-sail  wildly  bulging  out 
right  before  the  wind.  In  a  few  minutes  it  was  blown 
from  the  bolt-ropes  in  strips,  twisted  and  knotted 
together.  The  main-sail,  not  without  difficulty,  was 
handed,  and  we  continued  to  run  on  under  the  foresail, 
the  only  other  sail  which  remained  entire,  and  it 
seemed  very  probable  that  that  would  soon  be  blown 
away. 

All  this  time  the  terror  of  the  unfortunate  pas- 
sengers was  very  great — the  more  so  that  it  was  un- 
defined. They  saw  the  captain,  however,  every  now 


no  James  Braithwaite. 

and  then  come  into  the  cabin  and  toss  off  a  tumbler 
of  strong  rum-and-water,  and  then  return  on  deck,  and 
shout  out  with  oaths  often  contradictory  orders.  The 
gale  all  this  time  was  increasing,  until  it  threatened  to 
become  as  violent  as  the  hurricane  from  which  we  had 
escaped.  I  could  not  help  wishing  that  we  had  not 
left  our  leaky  little  schooner.  We  might  have  reached 
some  land  in  her.  Now  we  did  not  know  where  we 
were  going,  except  towards  a  region  of  rocks  and  sand- 
banks on  which  any  moment  the  ship  might  be  hurled. 
For  ourselves  it  would  be  bad  enough;  but  hard  indeed 
for  the  poor  women  and  children,  of  whom  there  were 
a  dozen  or  more  on  board,  several  of  them  helpless 
infants. 

As  I  looked  on  the  man  who  was  thus  perilling  the 
lives  of  his  fellow-creatures  by  his  senseless  brutality, 
I  could  not  help  thinking  what  a  load  of  guilt  rested 
on  his  head.  His  face  was  flushed,  his  features  dis- 
torted, his  eyes  rolling  wildly,  as  he  walked  with  irre- 
gular steps  up  and  down  the  deck,  or  ever  and  anon 
descended  to  the  cabin  to  gaze  stupidly  at  his  chart, 
which  was  utterly  useless,  and  to  take  a  fresh  draught 
of  the  liquor  which  had  brought  him  to  that  state. 
Yet  he  was  a  fine,  good-looking  fellow,  and  pleasant- 
mannered  enough  when  sober  and  not  opposed.  I 
have  known  several  such,  who  have  for  years  deceived 
their  owners  and  others  on  shore,  led  by  outward 
•appearance,  till  some  fearful  catastrophe  has  been  the 
result  of  their  pernicious  habits. 

Night  came.     The  ship  continued  her  mad  career 


* '  Breakers  Ahead  /  "  1 1 1 

through  the  darkness ;  the  wind  howling  and  whist- 
ling, the  loose  ropes  lashing  furiously  against  the  masts, 
and  the  sea  roaring  around.  Below  all  was  confusion. 
Numerous  articles  had  broken  adrift  and  were  rolling 
about,  the  passengers  crouched  huddled  together  in 
the  cabin  endeavouring  to  avoid  them.  Mothers 
pressed  their  children  to  their  bosoms ;  the  men  were 
asking  each  other  what  was  next  to  happen.  The 
answer  came  with  fearful  import.  "  Breakers  ahead  ' 
Breakers  ahead ! "  There  was  a  tremendous  crash, 
every  timber  in  the  ship  shook.  She  was  on  the 
rocks. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A    COMPLETE   WRECK. 

away  the  masts — the  shrouds  first !  Be 
smart,  my  men  ! "  cried  a  voice. 

"  Who  dares  give  that  order  ? "  shrieked  out  the 
captain  ;  "  she'll  be  over  this  in  no  time." 

"  I  dare  obey  it ! "  exclaimed  one  of  the  seamen. 
"  Come,  lads,  it's  the  best  chance  of  saving  our  lives." 

The  men  listened  to  the  advice  of  their  messmate, 
and,  knowing  where  to  find  the  axes,  quickly  severed 
the  shrouds  of  the  mizenmast,  and  some  attacked  it, 
while  others  went  to  the  mainmast,  in  spite  of  the 
mad  cries  of  the  captain  to  "  hold  fast."  Their  object 
was  thus  to  force  the  ship  over  the  reef — if  it  was  a  reef 
we  were  on — head  first,  or  closer  to  the  shore  if  we 
were  on  an  island.  The  seas  came  thundering  against 
our  sides,  often  dashing  over  the  decks,  so  that  with 
difficulty  any  of  us  could  save  ourselves  from  being 
carried  away  by  them.  Several  poor  people  were  thus 
swept  away  soon  after  the  ship  struck,  and  their 
despairing  shrieks  rang  in  our  ears  as  they  were  borne 
away  or  hurled  on  the  rocks  amid  the  foaming 
breakers.  We  could  see  nothing  beyond  the  ship 
except  the  troubled  waters.  Our  chief  hope  rested 


A  Complete  Wreck.  113 

on  her  not  being  wedged  in  the  rocks.  Now  she  lifted 
and  drove  on  her  bottom,  grinding  over  the  coral ;  now 
down  she  came  again,  and  rocked  to  and  fro  in  the 
surges.  Directly  the  after  masts  were  cleared  away, 
her  head  paid  off,  and  we  drove  on  stern  first.  It  was 
pitiable  to  hear  the  cries  which  rose  from  the  terror- 
stricken  passengers,  but  as  we  could  as  yet  give  them 
no  comfort,  I  refrained  from  going  below.  William 
and  Trundle,  O'Carroll  and  I,  stood  together  holding 
on  to  the  stump  of  the  mainmast ;  the  Frenchman  and 
his  son  had  gone  below  at  the  commencement  of  the 
gale.  I  hoped  that  they  were  still  there.  The  ship 
continued  alternately  grinding  and  bumping  along, 
but  still  evidently  progressing  over  the  reef.  She 
must  have  been  new  and  well  built,  or  she  would  have 
gone  to  pieces  with  the  treatment  she  was  receiving. 
Our  anxiety  was  thus  prolonged,  for  it  was  impossible 
to  say,  supposing  the  ship  should  drive  over  the  reef, 
whether  we  should  find  land,  and  if  not  whether  she 
would  float.  It  seemed  as  if  each  blow  she  received 
must  be  knocking  a  hole  through  her  planks.  Oh  ! 
how  we  longed  for  daylight,  at  all  events  to  see  and 
face  the  dangers  which  beset  us  !  In  the  dark  we 
could  do  nothing  but  hold  on  for  our  lives  and  pray 
to  be  preserved  from  destruction. 

At  length  the  ship  was  lifted  by  a  huge  wave.  On 
she  drove.  It  seemed  that  the  next  time  she  came 
down  on  the  hard  rocks  it  must  be  to  her  destruction. 
On,  on  she  went ;  the  waters  roared  and  hissed  around 
her.  Instead  of  the  expected  catastrophe,  suddenly 

<R 


H4  James  Braithwaite. 

she  appeared  to  be  floating  with  comparative  calmness ; 
she  had  been  forced  over  the  reef,  but  the  furious 
wind  was  still  driving  her  before  it. 

"  We  should  anchor  this  instant ! "  said  O'Carroll ; 
but  neither  the  master  nor  his  mates  were  on  deck  to 
give  the  necessary  orders.  "Stand  by  to  anchor!" 
cried  O'Carroll. 

The  two  midshipmen,  with  Kelson  and  several  of 
the  crew,  hurried  to  carry  out  the  order.  Some  delay 
occurred  in  consequence  of  the  darkness.  At  length 
the  anchor  was  let  go,  but  as  the  ship's  stern  swung 
round  it  struck  heavily  on  a  rock.  Again  cries  of 
terror  came  up  from  the  passengers  in  the  cabins  ;  I 
therefore,  as  I  could  be  of  no  use  on  deck,  went  below 
in  the  hopes  of  tranquillising  their  minds.  They  clung 
round  me  as  I  appeared,  entreating  to  be  told  the 
truth.  I  assured  them  that  there  was  no  immediate 
danger,  and  that,  though  the  ship  had  again  struck 
on  the  rocks,  there  was  so  much  less  sea  inside  the 
reef  than  what  she  had  already  gone  through,  I  hoped 
she  might  continue  to  hold  together.  In  all  proba- 
bility we  were  not  far  off  land.  Some,  on  hearing 
this,  especially  those  who  had  been  most  overcome 
with  terror,  expressed  their  joy  in  all  sorts  of  extra- 
vagant ways,  and  seemed  to  consider  that  there  was 
no  longer  any  danger  to  be  apprehended ;  others, 
again,  would  scarcely  credit  what  I  told  them,  and 
inquired  what  the  captain  thought  on  the  subject. 

"  The  captain !  What  does  he  know  about  any- 
thing ?  "  exclaimed  a  young  man,  who  appeared  to  be 


A  Complete   Wreck.  115 

superior  in  education  to  most  of  the  passengers.  "  If 
the  ship  is  lost,  and  our  lives  sacrificed,  on  him  will 
rest  the  blame.  Look  there ! " 

He  threw  open  the  door  of  the  captain's  cabin,  where 
he  and  the  first  mate  sat,  both  far  too  tipsy  to  move, 
yet  still  trying  to  pour  spirits  down  their  throats. 

"  What's  that  you  say  ?  "  growled  out  the  captain, 
with  an  indistinct  utterance ;  "  I'll  have  no  mutiny 
aboard  this  ship." 

He  endeavoured  to  rise,  but  fell  forward  across  the 
table,  upsetting  the  bottle  and  tumblers.  The  mate 
was  too  far  gone  even  to  attempt  to  rise.  He  gazed  at 
us  with  an  idiotic  glance  for  a  minute  or  two,  then  his 
head  dropped  down  on  the  little  table  at  which  he  was 
sitting.  It  must  be  understood  that  all  this  time  the 
ship  was  far  from  quiet ;  she  was  still  grinding  and 
striking  heavily  against  the  rocks,  though  the  sea  had 
not  sufficient  force  to  lift  her  over  them.  I  hurried 
again  on  deck ;  my  fear  was  that  the  ship  would  fill 
with  water  and  drop  off  the  rocks  and  sink.  After 
hunting  about  we  found  the  carpenter,  and  with  his 
help  sounded  the  well ;  already  there  were  six  feet  of 
water  in  the  hold.  After  waiting  a  short  time  we 
found  that  the  water  was  increasing,  the  pumps  must 
be  set  to  work.  Some  of  the  crew  said  it  was  of  no 
use,  and  refused ;  others  came  to  our  summons ;  and 
to  help  us  we  called  up  all  the  men  passengers,  while 
we  set  the  example  by  labouring  as  hard  as  we  could. 
Thus  the  night  passed.  It  was  indeed  better  for 
everybody  that  we  had  something  to  do.  Dawn  cauie 


n6  James  Braithwaite. 

at  last.  We  eagerly  looked  out  for  the  prospect  which 
daylight  was  to  reveal,  whether  we  were  to  find  our- 
selves amidst  reefs  just  rising  from  the  water,  or  near 
a  mere  sandbank,  or  on  an  inhabited  shore.  At  first 
we  could  only  see,  as  before,  the  white  foam  dancing 
up,  then  dark  rocks  and  yellow  sand,  and  beyond  it 
brown  hills  and  a  few  trees.  As  the  light  still  further 
increased  we  discovered  that  the  country  was  in  a 
state  of  nature ;  in  vain  we  looked  for  traces  of 
inhabitants. 

The  passengers,  hearing  that  we  were  close  to  land, 
came  crowding  on  deck,  all  eager  to  get  on  shore.  It 
was,  however,  no  easy  matter  to  do  so.  The  sea  came 
rushing  round  the  ship,  between  which  and  the  dry 
rocks  the  distance  was  considerable,  so  that  anybody 
attempting  to  swim  to  them  would  have  been  swept 
away.  One  small  boat  alone  remained,  the  rest  had 
been  knocked  to  pieces.  In  this  only  two  rowers 
could  sit,  and  a  couple  of  passengers  at  the  most.  As 
far,  however,  as  we  could  see  on  either  side  the  surf 
broke  too  furiously  to  allow  her  to  land,  so  that  she 
could,  we  feared,  be  of  no  use. 

At  length  my  brother  cried  out,  "  We'll  go  in  her ; 
there  is  one  place  just  inside  the  ship  where  we  can 
jump  on  shore  with  a  line.  If  we  can  do  that  we'll  carry 
a  hawser  to  the  rocks,  and  all  the  people  may  land." 

The  two  mids  and  Kelson  agreed  to  go  in  the  boat, 
towing  a  light  line.  We  watched  them  anxiously. 
The  water  tossed  and  foamed  around  them,  and  they 
had  hard  work  to  contend  with  the  reflux  of  the  sea. 


A   Complete    Wreck.  117 

Earnestly  I  prayed  that  they  might  be  protected  and 
succeed,  both  for  their  sakes  and  ours.  A  shout  of  joy 
and  thankfulness  burst  from  the  lookers-on  as  Kelson 
leaped  on  the  rock,  followed  by  the  two  midshipmen, 
who  instantly  hauled  the  boat  up  out  of  harm's  way. 
A  hawser  had  been  prepared,  which  they  at  once 
hauled  on  shore  and  secured.  A  cradle  was  next  fitted 
to  it  by  the  seamen,  under  O'Carroll's  directions.  It 
was  a  question  who  was  to  go  forth  to  prove  it.  At 
that  moment  Jacotot  made  his  appearance  on  deck. 
He  was  told  that  he  must  go  on  shore.  He  was 
secured  forthwith  to  the  cradle.  In  vain  he  struggled 
and  protested  :  he  was  quickly  drawn  across.  His  son 
and  Jack  followed.  Two  men  then  went  to  assist  in 
hauling  the  passengers  across.  They  were  placed,  one 
after  the  other,  in  the  cradle  and  landed  in  safety.  I 
was  thankful  when  they  were  all  on  shore.  There 
they  stood,  grouped  together,  gazing  helplessly  at  the 
ship,  not  knowing  what  to  do.  There  was  no  one  to 
guide  them.  Those  wretches,  the  master  and  his  mate, 
still  remained  utterly  helpless  in  the  cabin.  Half  the 
crew  of  the  ship  had  been  lost,  and  the  young  mate, 
who  might  have  exercised  some  authority.  From 
what  I  saw  of  the  remainder  of  the  crew  I  was  afraid 
that  they  were  mostly  a  very  bad  set.  I  dreaded  their 
breaking  into  the  spirit-room — which  seamen  often  do 
under  such  circumstances.  To  prevent  this  it  was 
necessary  to  keep  them  amply  employed ;  we  urged 
them,  therefore,  to  land  all  the  provisions  that  could 
be  got  out  of  the  hold. 


1 1 8  James  Braithwaite. 

To  expedite  this  proceeding  we  got  another  hawser 
carried  on  shore.  Oar  lives  might  depend  on  the 
amount  of  provisions  we  could  save.  All  day  we 
worked  on,  till  towards  evening  the  water  had  risen  so 
much  in  the  hold  that  nothing  more  could  be  got  out. 
The  heat  was  intense,  but  so  important  was  the  work 
that  we  scarcely  stopped  even  to  take  food.  No  one 
had  thought  all  this  time  of  the  captain  and  mate,  the 
real  cause  of  their  misfortunes.  Suddenly  I  recollected 
that  they  had  been  left  in  a  side-cabin  asleep.  I 
hurried  down.  I  was  but  just  in  time;  the  water  was 
up  to  their  heads,  and  in  another  minute  would  have 
washed  over  their  faces  and  drowned  them  as  they  lay 
sleeping  off  their  debauch.  I  shouted  out  their  names, 
and  called  them  to  come  on  deck.  They  started  up, 
their  countenances  exhibiting  their  horror  and  alarm, 
as  they  believed  that  the  ship  was  sinking  beneath 
them.  Out  into  the  water  they  tumbled.  The  mate 
slipped,  and  caught  hold  of  the  captain  to  save  himself. 
Over  they  went,  struggling  together.  I  fancy  that 
they  thought  themselves  overboard ;  right  under  the 
water  they  dragged  each  other,  once  more  to  get  their 
heads  out,  spluttering  and  shouting,  and  swearing  most 
fearfully.  At  last,  fearing  that  they  might  after  all  be 
drowned,  I  seized  the  mate,  who  was  the  smaller  man 
of  the  two,  and  dragged  him  on  deck,  calling  out  to 
O'Carroll  to  assist  in  getting  up  the  captain.  He  came 
to  my  assistance,  and  we  hauled  both  the  men  on  deck. 
Their  sea  bath  and  the  struggle  had  brought  them  to 
their  senses  ;  but  when,  after  staring  around  for  some 


A   Complete   Wreck.  119 

time,  they  saw  that  the  ship  was  a  hopeless  wreck, 
cast  away  on  an  apparently  barren  island,  they  very 
nearly  lost  them  again.  To  find  fault  with  them  at 
such  a  moment  would  have  been  folly.  "  Come,  I 
advise  you  to  go  on  shore,  for  very  likely  the  ship  will 
go  to  pieces  during  the  night,  if  the  wind  rise  again," 
I  said  quietly.  They  were  far  from  disposed  to  thank 
me  for  my  advice,  though,  after  looking  about  for  a 
few  minutes,  they  took  it,  and  were  hauled  on  shore. 
After  collecting  everything  of  value  to  be  found  in  the 
cabin,  compass,  charts,  and  some  nautical  books,  I  fol- 
lowed. O'Carroll  was  the  last  man  to  leave  the  ship. 
William  and  his  messmate  had  been  very  active  on 
shore,  and  got  a  tent  rigged  for  the  poor  women  and 
children,  and  some  food  cooked  for  them  by  Jacotot. 

No  sooner  was  a  fire  lighted  than  the  Frenchman 
was  himself  again,  hurrying  about  in  search  of  the 
utensils  necessary  for  his  calling.  He  had  cooked  a 
capital  supper  for  them,  and  he  now  offered  to  cook 
one  for  us.  On  collecting  all  the  sails  we  had  landed, 
we  were  able  to  form  a  shelter  for  ourselves,  as  well  as 
for  the  seamen ;  and  at  length,  weary  with  our  exer- 
tions, we  lay  down  to  rest.  The  captain  and  mate 
were  very  silent,  and  I  hoped  ashamed  of  themselves. 
During  the  night  there  was  a  good  deal  of  wind  and 
sea.  I  was  thankful  that  we  were  on  shore,  and  when 
I  looked  out  I  almost  expected  to  find  that  the  ship 
had  gone  to  pieces.  There,  however,  she  was,  still 
holding  fast  together.  Seeing  this,  the  captain  de- 
clared that  he  would  get  her  off,  and  that  if  trees 


I2O  James  Braithwaite. 

could  be  found  in  the  island  suitable  for  new  spars,  he 
could  proceed  on  his  voyage. 

"  If  he  knew  of  the  bumping  she  got  he  wouldn't 
say  so,"  observed  O'Carroll.  "  That  ship  will  never 
float  again,  and,  strong  as  she  is,  another  gale  such  as 
we  had  last  night  will  break  her  to  pieces." 

As  there  was  nothing  more  to  be  done,  we  started 

o  * 

to  explore  the  island.  It  seemed  to  be  the  chief  of  a 
group  of  rocky  islets,  being  about  six  miles  long  and 
half  as  broad.  Though  we  made  diligent  search  as  we 
walked  on,  we  could  find  no  water.  A  few  small  casks 
of  the  precious  liquid  had  been  landed,  but  sufficient 
only  for  another  day  or  two. 

"  And  what  shall  we  do  when  that  is  gone  ?  "  asked 
William.  It  was  a  serious  question. 

"  We  must  trust  in  God,  for  vain  is  the  help  of  man 
in  such  a  case,"  I  answered;  "at  all  events,  we  must 
use  what  we  have  got  with  the  greatest  economy." 

On  returning  to  the  camp  and  reporting  our  want 
of  success  in  finding  water,  what  was  our  dismay  to 
find  that  every  drop  in  the  casks  had  been  consumed  ! 
All  the  poor  people  could  say  was  that  they  were  so 
thirsty,  and  the  children  were  so  constantly  crying  out 
for  water,  that  they  could  not  help  giving  it  to  them. 
We  were  ourselves  already  suffering  greatly  from 
thirst  after  our  ramble,  yet  not  a  drop  of  water  did  we 
obtain.  Our  lips  were  parched,  our  tongues  dry  : 
without  water  we  could  not  eat,  we  loathed  food, 
supperless  we  lay  down  to  sleep.  All  night  long  I 
was  dreaming  of  sparkling  fountains  and  running 


A  Complete   Wreck.  121 

brooks.  As  soon  as  it  was  daylight  we  again  set  out 
with  a  spade  and  pickaxe,  prepared,  if  we  could  find 
no  running  stream,  to  dig  wherever  verdure  showed 
that  moisture  was  at  hand.  We  walked  on  and  on, 
searching  in  every  direction  round  the  shore,  but  no 
sign  of  a  stream  emptying  itself  into  the  sea  could  we 
discover,  and  when  we  dug  we  soon  met  the  hard  rock. 
Faint  and  weary  we  turned  to  the  camp.  We  found 
a  fire  blazing,  and  Jacotot  with  several  men  standing 
round  it :  two  were  working  a  rough  pair  of  bellows, 
others  hammers  and  tongs.  All  were  employed  under 
his  directions,  while  he  was  engaged  in  riveting  a  pipe 
into  a  large  copper  vessel. 

"  Why  you  trouble  to  look  for  water  ? "  he  asked. 
"  There  is  salt  water,  there  is  wood  to  make  fire,  then 
we  have  plenty  of  fresh  water.  We  make  steam, 
steam  come  out  and  leave  the  salt  in  de  kettle,  and 
then  find  a  cold  piece  of  iron  and  drop,  drop,  down 
into  this  tub  all  fresh  and  good  for  drink."  He  told 
us  that  he  had  seen  a  French  doctor  obtain  fresh 
water  from  salt  in  that  manner. 

"  Most  men  have  their  merits,  if  we  could  but  dis- 
cover them  and  put  them  in  their  right  places,"  I 
thought  to  myself.  "We  were  inclined  to  laugh  at 
Jacotot,  but  if  he. can  produce  fresh  water  out  of  salt, 
he  may  be  the  means  of  saving  all  our  lives. " 

We  watched  him  anxiously,  all  eager  to  help  him,  but 
he  would  not  be  hurried.  At  length  the  machine  was 
finished,  and  we  hastened  to  fill  it  with  salt  water. 
It  was  placed  on  the  fire,  and  slowly  the  drops  of  fresh 


122  James  Braithwaite. 

water  were  distilled  from  it.  How  eagerly  were  they 
sought  for  by  the  poor  creatures  who  stood  round 
with  lack-lustre  eyes  and  parched  lips.  Jacotot  in- 
sisted that  the  youngest  should  be  served  first.  I 
think  he  was  influenced  by  the  wish  to  get  his  boy 
Auguste  an  early  draught.  That  was  but  natural. 
Some  of  the  crew  grumbled,  and  so  did  the  captain 
and  mate,  who  were,  in  consequence  of  their  late 
debauch,  suffering  fearfully  from  thirst ;  but  O'Carroll, 
"William,  Trundle,  Kelson,  and  two  or  three  of  the  pas- 
sengers formed  a  body-guard  round  the  Frenchman,  to 
enable  him  to  do  as  he  thought  right.  Only  half  a 
little  liqueur  glass  of  the  precious  fluid  was  served  out 
to  each  person.  It  was  pleasant  to  see  the  eyes  of  the 
poor  children  brighten  as  the  pure  water  touched  their 
lips.  The  younger  ones,  however,  directly  their  al- 
lowance was  gone,  cried  out  for  more.  Several  times 
we  had  to  stop  till  more  water  was  distilled. 

While  we  were  thus  engaged,  the  wind  had  again 
got  up,  and  the  sea,  dashing  over  the  reef,  began  to 
burst  with  violence  against  the  shore.  The  effect 
produced  on  the  wreck  was  soon  apparent.  The  re- 
maining upper  works  began  to  give  way.  As  the  sea 
rolled  in  with  increasing  violence,  plank  after  plank 
was  torn  off,  then  larger  portions  were  wrenched  from 
the  hull,  the  deck  burst  up,  and  was  soon  dashed  into 
pieces  against  the  rocks.  As  soon  as  we  had  swal- 
lowed enough  water  somewhat  to  slake  our  burning 
thirst,  we  hastened  to  the  beach  to  save  what  we 
could  from  the  wreck.  We  hauled  on  shore  ah1  the 


A   Complete   Wreck.  123 

planks  and  timber  we  could  get  hold  of,  with  the 
vague  idea  that  we  might  be  able  to  build  a  raft  of 
some  sort,  in  which  to  make  our  escape.  At  all 
events  the  wood  would  be  useful  to  construct  huts 
for  the  women,  or  to  burn.  As  darkness  set  in,  a 
large  portion  of  the  wreck  had  disappeared,  and  even 
the  captain  was  convinced  that  her  keel  would  never 
leave  its  present  position,  except  to  be  cast  up  in 
fragments  on  the  rocks.  He  and  the  mate  had  been 
very  quiet  and  lowspirited.  They  were  craving  for 
their  accustomed  stimulants,  and  several  times  I  heard 
them  grumbling  at  us  for  not  having  landed  any 
liquor  for  them.  Neither  they  nor  the  larger  portion 
of  their  crew  had  exerted  themselves  in  the  slightest 
degree  to  assist  us  in  our  labours.  Most  of  them 
sauntered  along  the  beach  with  their  hands  in  their 
pockets,  or  sat  coolly  watching  us.  Fatigued  with 
our  exertions,  we  at  last  returned  to  the  camp,  where 
Jacotot  was  able  to  give  us  a  glass  of  water,  and  we 
then,  thankful  even  for  that  small  supply,  lay  down 
to  rest. 

It  was  not  till  late  that  any  of  us  awoke ;  we  then 
found  that  the  captain  and  mate,  and  several  of  their 
men,  had  withdrawn  themselves  to  a  distance  from 
the  camp.  We  were  glad  to  be  rid  of  their  company, 
though  why  they  had  gone  away  so  suddenly  we 
could  not  tell.  We  could  not  help  suspecting,  how- 
ever, that  they  had  done  so  with  the  intention  of 
hatching  mischief.  When  I  speak  of  ive,  I  mean  our 
party  from  the  Lore,  for  we  of  necessity  kept  very 


124  James  Braithwaite. 

much  together.  I  have  not  particularly  described  the 
emigrants,  for  there  was  nothing  very  remarkable 
about  them.  Two  or  three  were  intelligent,  enter- 
prising men,  who  had  made  themselves  acquainted 
with  the  character  of  the  country  to  which  they  were 
going,  and  had  tolerably  definite  plans  for  the  employ- 
ment of  their  capitals.  The  rest  had  mostly  failed  in 
England,  and  were  rather  driven  by  want  into  exile 
than  attracted  by  the  advantages  the  new  colony  had 
to  offer.  They  were  all  married  men  with  families, 
and  this  made  them  associate  with  each  other  for 
mutual  assistance.  The  steerage  passengers  were 
generally  small  tradesmen,  and  had  emigrated  for 
much  the  same  reason  as  the  others.  Three  gentlemen 
of  the  first  class,  who  were  bachelors,  had  begged 
leave  to  join  our  mess.  One  of  them  had  already 
been  in  New  South  Wales,  and  was  able  to  give  us 
much  interesting  information  about  it.  So  much 
taken  was  I,  indeed,  with  what  I  heard,  that  I  resolved, 
should  I  be  unable  to  find  the  Barbara,  to  visit  the 
colony  before  returning  home.  We  thus,  as  I  have 
explained,  formed  three  chief  messes.  We  were  not 
as  yet  either  very  badly  off.  We  had  saved  provisions 
from  the  wreck  sufficient,  with  economy,  to  last  us  a 
couple  of  months  or  more ;  and  now  that  we  could 
obtain  fresh  water,  though  but  in  small  quantities,  we 
were  not  afraid  of  dying  of  thirst.  We  were  in  hopes, 
too,  of  finding  turtles  and  turtles'  eggs,  and  perhaps 
wild  fowl,  and  we  might  also  catch  fish  to  add  to  our 
stock  of  provisions.  Could  we  only  find  water,  and 


A   Complete   Wreck.  125 

some  sort  of  vegetables,  we  might  be  able,  we  thought, 
to  support  existence  for  any  lengih  of  time;  and  as 
far,  indeed,  as  we  could  judge  we  might  not  have 
an  opportunity  of  escaping  from  the  island  for  months, 
or  it  might  be  for  years.  This  was  not,  however,  a 
subject  pleasant  to  contemplate.  I  thought  of  my 
merchandise,  William  of  his  promotion,  and  of  the 
opportunities  he  might  lose  of  distinguishing  himself, 
while  Jacotot,  though  not  idle,  was  unable  to  make 
money  where  he  was.  Toby  Trundle,  however,  took 
things  very  easily.  He  laughed  and  joked  as  much  as 
ever,  and  declared  that  he  never  was  more  jolly  in  his 
life.  He  used  to  say  the  same  thing  in  the  midship- 
men's berth;  he  had  said  it  on  board  the  boat,  and 
I  believe  he  would  have  said  it  under  nearly  any 
circumstances  in  which  he  could  have  been  placed. 
The  poor  emigrants,  on  the  contrary,  were  very  far 
from  content.  Most  of  them  had  lost  all  they  possessed 
in  the  world,  and  knew  that,  should  they  even  ul- 
timately arrive  at  their  destination,  they  must  land  as 
beggars,  dependent  on  the  bounty  of  others.  They 
were  therefore  naturally  very  loud  in  their  complaints 
of  the  captain  and  his  mate,  while  they  were  con- 
tinually bewailing  their  own  hard  lot.  Those  persons 
had,  as  I  observed,  removed  themselves  to  a  distance 
from  the  rest  of  our  shipwrecked  band. 

"We  had  retired  to  tents  for  the  night,  and  had  lain 
down  to  sleep,  when  after  some  time  I  was  awoke  by 
sounds  of  shouting  and  laughter,  followed  by  shrieks 
and  cries,  which  seemed  to  come  up  from  the  beach 


126  James  Braithwaite. 

where  the  captain  and  his  associates  had  taken  up 
their  quarters.  The  noises  increased,  and  O'Carroll 
awoke.  He  got  up,  and  we  went  together  to  the 
entrance  of  our  tent.  The  night  was  very  calm.  The 
stars  shone  forth  from  the  dark  sky  with  a  brilliancy 
I  have  never  seen  surpassed ;  even  the  restless  sea  was 
quiet,  and  met  the  shore  with  an  almost  noiseless 
kiss ;  all  nature  seemed  tranquil  and  at  rest.  A  shot 
was  heard,  and  then  another,  and  another,  followed 
by  shouts  and  execrations.  "  There  will  be  bloodshed 
among  those  madmen,"  exclaimed  O'Carroll.  "They 
have  got  hold  of  some  liquor  unknown  to  us,  and 
are  fighting  with  each  other :  we  must  try  and  sepa- 
rate them. ;J  Calling  my  brother  and  the  rest  of  the 
party  to  come  to  our  assistance,  we  hurried  off  in  the 
direction  whence  the  sounds  proceeded. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

LIFE  ON  THE  ISLAND. 

"VY7"HEN  we  got  sufficiently  near  the  beach  to  dis- 
*  *  tinguish  objects,  we  saw  the  captain  standing 
with  a  pistol  in  his  hand,  which  was  pointed  at  the 
mate,  who  held  a  long  knife  in  his  hand,  with  which 
he  was  about,  it  seemed,  to  make  a  rush  at  his  op- 
ponent, while  three  or  four  men  had  arranged  them- 
selves on  either  side,  and  were  flourishing  various 
weapons.  The  shots  we  heard  told  us  that  they  had 
already  fired  at  each  other  several  times,  but  were  too 
tipsy  to  take  a  steady  aim.  One  man,  however,  lay 
wounded  on  the  ground,  and  from  the  gestures  of  the 
mate,  he  would  in  another  instant  plunge  his  knife  in 
the  bosom  of  the  captain,  unless  stopped  by  the  latter's 
bullet. 

"You  knock  up  the  skipper's  arm,  while  I  seize 
the  other  fellow,"  exclaimed  O'Carroll  to  me,  springing 
forward. 

I  did  as  he  bid  me ;  he  ran  a  great  risk  of  being 
shot.  The  mate  turned  on  O'Carroll  with  an  oath,  and 
the  captain  snapped  his  pistol  at  me,  but  fortunately 
he  had  already  discharged  it,  and  in  another  instant  I 
brought  him,  as  he  attempted  to  grapple  with  me,  to 


128  James  Braithwaite. 

the  ground.  O'Carroll  had  mastered  the  mate,  and 
the  other  men  stood  staring  at  us,  but  offering  no 
opposition.  "  Is  this  the  way  for  men  to  behave  who 
have  just  been,  saved  from  death,  to  make  yourselves 
worse  than  the  brute  beasts  ?  This — this  is  the  cause 
of  it ! "  exclaimed  O'Carroll,  kicking  a  cask  from 
which  a  stream  of  spirit  was  even  then  running  out. 
"It  would  have  been  no  loss  to  us  if  you  had  killed 
each  other,  but  we  could  not  see  our  fellow-creatures 
perish  without  trying  to  save  them." 

The  bold  and  determined  tone  in  which  O'Carroll 
spoke,  aided  by  the  arrival  of  the  rest  of  our  friends, 
had  such  an  effect  on  the  seamen,  that  those  who 
were  still  able  to  move  slunk  away  to  a  distance, 
while  the  captain  and  his  mate,  when  we  let  them  go, 
sat  down  helplessly  on  the  sand,  forgetting  entirely 
their  quarrel  and  its  cause.  There  they  sat,  laughing 
stupidly  at  each  other,  as  if  the  affair  had  been  a  good 
joke.  While  O'Carroll  was  emptying  the  rum  cask, 
which  it  appeared  had  been  washed  on  shore  and 
secreted  by  the  captain,  his  men  went  to  the  wounded 
rnan.  He  did  not  speak :  he  seemed  scarcely  to 
breathe.  I  took  his  hand :  it  was  already  cold.  All 
this  time  he  had  been  bleeding  to  death  :  an  artery 
had  been  shot  through.  We  did  our  best  in  the  dark 
to  bind  up  the  wound  and  stop  the  bleeding;  the 
spirit  which  might  have  kept  his  heart  beating  till 
nature,  in  her  laboratory,  had  formed  more  blood,  was 
gone ;  indeed,  probably  in  his  then  condition  it  would 
not  have  had  its  due  effect.  The  wretched  man's 


Life  on  the  Island.  129 

breath  came  fainter  and  fainter.  There  was  no  re- 
storative that  we  could  think  of  to  be  procured.  We 
lifted  him  up  to  carry  him  to  the  camp,  but  before  we 
had  gone  many  paces,  we  found  that  we  were  bearing 
a  corpse. 

"That  man  has  been  murdered,"  exclaimed  O'Car- 
roll,  turning  to  the  captain.  "  By  whose  hand  the  shot 
was  fired  which  killed  him  I  know  not,  but  I  do  know 
that  his  blood  is  on  the  head  of  the  man  who  ought 
to  have  set  a  good  example  to  his  inferiors,  and  pre- 
vented them  from  broaching  the  cask  they  had  found." 

Whether  this  address  had  any  good  effect  we  could 
not  tell,  but  hoping  that  the  men  would  remain  quiet 
and  sleep  off  the  effect  of  their  debauch,  we  returned 
to  our  tent,  leaving  the  body  on  the  ground.  The 
next  morning  we  returned  to  the  beach.  The  captain 
and  his  drunken  companions  still  lay  on  the  sand 
asleep.  They  were  out  of  the  reach  of  the  sea,  but 
the  hot  rays  of  the  rapidly  rising  sun,  which  were 
striking  down  on  their  unprotected  heads,  would,  I 
saw,  soon  give  them  brain  fever  or  kill  them  outright, 
if  they  were  to  be  left  long  exposed  to  their  influence. 
I  therefore  proposed  that  we  should  rouse  them  up, 
and  advise  them  to  go  and  lie  down  in  the  shade  of 
some  shrubs  and  rocks  at  a  little  distance. 

"  Before  we  do  so,  we'll  take  away  their  weapons, 
and  at  all  events  make  it  more  difficult  for  them  to 
do  mischief  to  us  or  to  themselves,"  said  O1  Carroll. 
Some  of  the  men  grumbled  on  being  disturbed,  as  we 
turned  them  round  to  take  away  their  knives.  We 

9 


130  James  Braithwaite. 

left  the  unloaded  pistols,  which,  as  they  had  no 
powder,  could  do  little  harm.  Having  taken  their 
arms  to  our  tents,  we  returned  and  awoke  them,  not 
without  difficulty,  by  shaking  them  and  shouting  in 
their  ears.  One  after  the  other  they  got  up,  lazily 
rubbing  their  eyes  and  stretching  themselves,  and 
staring  stupidly  about  them.  The  captain  was  one 
of  the  last  to  come  to  his  senses.  He  started  when 
he  saw  the  dead  body  of  his  companion. 

"  Who  killed  that  man  ? "  he  exclaimed,  in  an 
anxious  tone. 

"You  did,  most  probably,"  answered  O'Carroll. 
"  We  heard  shots  fired  and  found  the  man  dead." 

The  captain  felt  in  his  pocket,  and  drew  out  a 
pistol  with  the  hammer  down :  it  had  been  discharged. 
"  Then  I  am  a  murderer !  "  he  exclaimed,  in  a  tone  of 
horror,  his  countenance  expressing  his  feelings.  "  It 
wanted  but  that  to  make  up  the  measure  of  my 
crimes." 

"  It  is  but  too  true,  I  fear,"  said  O'CarrolL 

"  Yes,  too  true,  too  true ! "  cried  the  captain,  rushing 
oft  towards  the  sea,  into  which  he  would  have  thrown 
himself,  had  not  O'Carroll,  William,  and  I  held  him 
back.  It  was  some  time  before  we  could  calm  him 
sufficiently  to  leave  him  alone.  He  then  went  and 
sat  down  in  the  shade  at  a  little  distance  from  his 
companions,  who  looked  on  at  him  with  dull  apathy, 
while  he  gave  way  to  the  feelings  which  the  prickings 
of  his  awakened  conscience  had  produced.  How  he 
and  the  mate  had  got  possessed  of  the  pistols  we  could 


Life  on  the  Island.  131 

not  guess,  till  we  found  the  chest  of  one  of  the  emi- 
grants, a  young  man,  broken  open,  and  from  this  they 
had  helped  themselves.  One  of  them  soon  after  came 
for  a  spade  which  had  been  landed,  and  we  saw  them 
hurriedly  bury  the  corpse,  as  if  eager  to  get  the  silent 
witness  of  their  crime  out  of  sight.  For  the  remainder 
of  the  day  they  were  perfectly  quiet,  the  mate  coming 
humbly  when  the  provisions  were  served  out  to  ask 
for  their  share ;  still  we  could  not  trust  them,  as  we 
knew  that  if  they  could  get  at  more  liquor,  they 
would  very  quickly  again  be  drunk.  In  the  evening, 
indeed,  they  were  seen  walking  along  the  beach, 
evidently  watching  for  the  chance  of  another  cask 
being  washed  on  shore.  They  did  not  find  one, 
however,  and  the  next  morning  were  excessively 
sulky,  keeping  together  and  evidently  plotting  mis- 
chief. They,  with  the  rest  of  us,  were  aroused, 
however,  soon  after  breakfast  by  the  appearance  of 
a  sail  in  the  offing.  The  more  sanguine  at  once 
declared  that  she  was  standing  towards  us,  and  that 
our  fears  regarding  a  prolonged  stay  on  the  island 
were  groundless ;  others  thought  that  she  would  pass 
by  and  leave  us  to  our  fate.  Every  spyglass  was  in 
requisition,  and  numerous  were  the  surmises  as  to 
the  character  and  nationality  of  the  stranger. 

"  What  if  she  is  an  enemy  ? "  observed  William. 

"  She  will  not  find  much  plunder,  at  all  events," 
answered  Trundle.  "  There  is  nothing  like  being  at 
the  bottom  of  the  hill,  so  that  you  cannot  be  kicked 
lower." 


132  James  Braitkwaite. 

"Even  an  enemy  would  respect  our  condition," 
remarked  O'Carroll ;  "  we  have  nothing  to  fear  from 
one,  I  should  hope." 

"  No,  but  an  enemy  would  leave  us  where  we  are  :  a 
friend  would  carry  us  away,  or  send  us  assistance,"  said  I. 

It  was  dinner-time,  and  Jacotot  had  prepared  our 
messes  with  his  usual  skill;  but  so  eager  were  the 
people  watching  the  approaching  stranger,  that  the 
food  was  scarcely  touched,  except  by  the  children, 
who  of  course  little  knew  how  much  depended  on 
her  character.  At  length  there  was  no  doubt  that 
she  was  standing  for  the  island,  and  the  exhibitions 
of  joy  and  satisfaction  became  general  among  the 
unfortunate  emigrants.  They  would  now  be  able  to 
leave  the  island  and  reach  their  land  of  promise  ; 
every  countenance  beamed  brightly  except  O'Carroll's. 
After  some  time  I  saw  his  fall.  It  gained  a  more  and 
more  anxious  look.  He  scarcely  withdrew  the  glass 
from  his  eye. 

"  What  do  you  make  her  out  to  be,  O'Carroll  ? "  I 
asked. 

"  Braithwaite,  as  I  am  a  living  man,  she's  the 
Mignonne,"  he  answered,  in  a  hoarse  voice,  his  coun- 
tenance still  further '  showing  the  agitation  of  his 
mind  :  "  if  that  villain  La  Roche  gets  hold  of  me 
again,  he'll  not  let  me  escape  with  my  life.  And 
those  poor  emigrants  to  have  his  lawless  crew  come 
among  them, — it  will  be  terrible ;  better  rather  that 
they  had  all  gone  to  the  bottom  in  their  ill-fated 
ship  with  their  drunken  captain." 


Life  on  the  Island.  133 

Notwithstanding  O'Carroll's  opinion,  I  doubted 
whether  the  stranger  was  the  Mignonne,  for  she  was 
still  too  far  off,  I  thought,  for  him  to  be  certain  on 
the  subject.  I  therefore  tried  to  tranquillise  his  mind, 
wondering  that  a  man  so  brave,  and  cool,  and  collected, 
as  he  generally  was,  should  have  such  a  dread  of  the 
French  captain. 

"  I  tell  you  yonder  vessel  is  the  Mignonne,  and  if 
you  had  been  treated  as  I  was,  and  had  witnessed 
the  scenes  I  saw  enacted  on  board,  you  would  not 
have  a  less  horror  of  La  Roche  and  his  scoundrel 
crew  than  I  have.  My  reason  does  not  help  me ;  I 
cannot  think  of  that  man  without  trembling." 

I  understood  him,  for  I  have  myself  been  affected 
in  the  same  way  with  regard  to  one  or  two  people 
who  have  done  me  some  injury,  or  would,  I  have  had 
reason  to  believe,  do  me  one  should  they  have  the 
opportunity. 

"The  only  way  to  escape  the  pirates  is  to  remain 
concealed  while  they  are  passing,"  he  observed.  "  As 
there  is  no  harbour  here,  and  there  are  no  signs  of 
them  having  been  here,  they  will,  in  all  probability, 
go  to  the  other  side  of  the  island,  and  we  may  escape 
them." 

As  I  still  further  examined  the  stranger  I  began  to 
fear  that  O'Carroll  was  right  in  his  conjectures,  and  I 
therefore  agreed  to  assist  him  in  trying  to  persuade 
the  rest  of  the  people  to  hide  themselves  till  the 
privateer  was  out  of  sight.  The  emigrants,  frightened 
out  of  their  wits  by  the  account  O'Carroll  gave  of 


134  James  Braithwaite. 

the  privateer's  men,  were  ready  enough  to  do  as  he 
advised,  and  began  running  here  and  there,  not  know- 
ing where  to  hide  themselves.  We  advised  them 
simply  to  pull  down  the  tent,  to  put  out  the  fire,  and 
to  sit  quiet  among  the  rocks  and  shrubs  till  the  ship 
had  passed. 

We  then  went  on  to  see  the  -  captain  and  his  men. 
As  we  got  in  sight  of  where  they  were,  we  saw  that 
they  had  already  got  up  a  spar,  which  had  been 
washed  on  shore,  and  were  in  the  act  of  hoisting  a 
man's  shirt  to  the  top  of  it  in  order  to  attract  the 
attention  of  the  stranger.  On  this  O'Carroll  shouted 
out  to  them  in  no  very  gentle  tones,  "  Fools !  idiots ! 
what  are  you  about  ?  would  you  bring  an  enemy  on 
shore  to  murder  us  ?  "  I  then  told  them  the  character 
of  the  vessel  in  sight.  "  What's  that  to  us  ? "  answered 
one  of  the  men.  "  All  masters  are  much  the  same  to 
us;  they'll  use  us  while  they  want  us,  and  cast  us 
adrift  when  they've  done  with  us.  Whether  French 
or  Spaniards,  they'll  not  harm  us.  They'll  have  liquor 
aboard,  and  that  is  what  we  shan't  have  as  long  as  we 
remain  here." 

It  was  useless  attempting  to  argue  with  such  men. 
I  turned  to  the  captain.  He  had  lost  all  authority 
over  his  people,  who  treated  him  as  an  equal,  or 
rather  as  an  inferior.  He  shrugged  his  shoulders  and 
walked  away  without  speaking.  I  saw  that  it  was 
time,  therefore,  to  interfere,  and  William  and  I,  rushing 
forward,  hauled  down  the  signal,  which  one  of  the  men 
was  on  the  point  of  hoisting.  "  If  you  are  willing  to 


Life  on  the  Island.  135 

become  slaves,  we  are  not ! "  I  exclaimed,  in  a  deter- 
mined tone,  seizing  the  halliards  and  hauling  down  the 
signal.  The  men  threatened,  but  as  they  had  no  arms, 
and  we  were  firm,  they  did  not  attempt  to  prevent  us 
from  carrying  off  the  spar. 

The  ship  approached,  and  as  she  passed  along  the 
coast  so  that  we  had  a  broadside  view  of  her,  I  had 
no  longer  any  doubt  that  she  was  the  Mir/nonne.  I 
observed  that  even  the  seamen,  notwithstanding  their 
bravado,  kept  so  far  among  the  rocks,  that  unless  the 
privateer's  men  had  been  especially  examining  the 
shore  there  was  not  much  probability  of  our  being 
discovered.  We  watched  the  vessel  from  the  highest 
point  of  ground  we  could  reach,  and  we  conjectured 
that  she  must  have  touched  at  the  other  side  of  the 
island,  concealed  by  an  intervening  ridge  of  elevated 
land.  "  If  we  are  careful  we  shall  escape  all  moles- 
tation from  the  privateer's  men,"  I  remarked,  address- 
ing the  emigrants.  "  They  are  not  likely  to  come  to 
our  part  of  the  island." 

It  was  curious  to  observe  the  change  which  had 
come  over  O'Carroll.  He  was  no  longer  the  bold  and 
sagacious  seaman,  but  an  anxious,  nervous,  timid  man. 
At  night  I  frequently  heard  him  crying  out  in  his 
sleep,  thinking  that  the  dreaded  La  Roche  was  on 
him,  and  was  aboul  to  carry  him  on  board  the  privateer. 
As  we  could  not  do  without  a  fire  to  obtain  fresh  water, 
we  were  compelled  to  light  one,  though  we  thus  ran 
the  risk,  should  any  of  the  privateer's  men  wander 
into  the  country,  of  being  discovered.  Still  that  was 


136  James  Braithwaite. 

a  risk  which  must  be  run.  It  was  curious,  also,  to 
observe  the  humble  way  in  which,  after  a  few  hours, 
the  seamen  came  to  beg  for  a  draught  of  the  pure 
liquid.  I  was  very  glad  of  this,  as  I  saw  that  it 
would  enable  us  to  exert  an  influence  over  them  and 
to  keep  them  in  order.  The  wretched  captain  held 
out  for  some  time,  but  at  last  came,  with  parched  lips 
and  bloodshot  eyes,  entreating  even  for  a  few  drops  of 
the  precious  fluid  to  cool  the  tip  of  his  tongue.  It 
raised  our  pity  to  see  how  the  wretched  man  suffered, 
physically  and  mentally,  and  all  the  time  without 
hope.  In  vain  I  urged  him  to  seek  for  mercy  as  a 
penitent.  "  Impossible  !  impossible  !  "  he  exclaimed, 
with  a  wild  laugh.  "  You  do  not  know  what  I  have 
done,  what  I  am  doomed  to  do."  And  tearing  himself 
away  from  me,  he  rushed  off,  and  was  hid  from  sight 
among  the  rocks  and  bushes.  Day  after  day  passed 
by,  and  we  kept  anxiously  hoping  that  the  privateer 
would  take  her  departure.  It  was  suggested  that  if 
she  came  to  the  island  to  refit,  the  Frenchman  might 
possibly  have  a  storehouse,  with  boats,  perhaps,  or 
means  of  building  one,  and  that  we  might  thus  be 
assisted  to  make  our  escape.  At  last,  so  long  a  time 
had  elapsed  since  her  arrival,  that  we  began  to  fancy 
that  she  had  gone  out  of  harbour  during  a  moonlight 
night,  and  reached  the  offing  without  our  perceiving 
her.  To  settle  the  point,  William  and  Trundle  volun- 
teered to  reconnoitre,  and  I,  afraid  that  they  might 
venture  too  far,  resolved  to  go  with  them.  We  fixed 
on  that  very  afternoon  to  start,  our  intention  being  to 


Life  on  the  Island.  137 

get  as  close  to  the  harbour  as  we  could  before  dark, 
and  then  to  rest  till  the  moon  rose  and  afforded  us 
light. 

"  I  hope  that  you'll  have  success,  but  it  is  a  dan- 
gerous work  you  are  going  on,  young  gentlemen," 
observed  one  of  the  emigrants,  a  Mr.  Peter  Lacy,  or 
Lazy,  as  he  was  generally  called,  for  it  was  most  diffi- 
cult to  arouse  him  to  any  exertion. 

"  Never  fear,  Mr.  Lazy,  danger  is  a  sweet  nut  we 
midshipmen  are  fond  of  cracking  to  get  at  the  kernel — 
honour.  We  shall  be  back  all  safe  before  morning,  and 
able  to  give  a  satisfactory  report." 

In  good  spirits  we  set  off,  for  a  considerable  part  of  the 
distance  keeping  along  the  shore,  to  avoid  the  tangled 
bush  and  rocks  of  the  interior.  As,  however,  we  ap- 
proached the  harbour,  or  rather  the  place  where  we 
supposed  the  harbour  to  be,  we  left  the  beach  and  kept  a 
more  inland  course,  taking  advantage  of  all  the  cover 
we  could  find  to  conceal  ourselves.  At  last  the  sun  went 
down  and  it  quickly  grew  dark,  so  we  called  a  halt, 
and  ate  some  of  our  provisions  with  a  good  appetite. 
We  listened  attentively,  but  could  hear  no  sound,  so 
we  agreed  to  push  on  directly  the  moon  got  up.  As 
we  did  not  speak  above  a  whisper,  a  very  soporiferous 
proceeding,  I  was  not  surprised  that  both  Toby  and 
William  fell  asleep.  It  was  more  necessary,  therefore, 
that  I  should  keep  my  e}res  and  ears  open.  At  last  I 
saw  what  looked  like  the  illuminated  dome  of  some 
vast  cathedral  slowly  emerge  from  the  dark  line  of  the 
horizon  ;  up  it  rose,  till  it  assumed  a  globe-like  form, 


138  James  Braithwaite. 

and  appeared  to  decrease  in  size,  while  it  cast  a  bright 
silvery  light  over  the  hitherto  obscured  landscape.  I 
roused  up  the  two  midshipmen,  who  were  sleeping  as 
soundly  as  if  they  had  been  in  their  hammocks.  We 
worked  our  way  onward  among  tangled  underwood, 
not  without  sundry  scratches  and  inconvenient  rents 
in  our  clothing,  till  we  reached  a  hill,  up  which  we 
climbed.  From  the  top  we  looked  down,  as  we  had 
expected  to  do,  on  the  harbour.  Below  us  lay  the 
Mignonne,  or  a  ship  very  like  her ;  her  sails  were 
loose  and  bulging  out  with  the  land  breeze,  while  from 
the  sounds  which  reached  us  it  was  evident  that  her 
crew  were  heaving  up  the  anchor  preparatory  to 
sailing ;  boats  were  moving  backwards  and  forwards 
over  the  surface  of  the  calm  water  of  the  harbour,  on 
which  the  moon  shone  with  a  refulgence  which  enabled 
us  to  see  all  that  was  taking  place.  The  anchor  was 
shipped,  the  sails  were  sheeted  home,  and  the  privateer 
slowly  glided  out  of  the  harbour  on  her  errand  of 
mischief;  two,  if  not  more,  boats  returned  to  the 
shore  fully  manned.  Farther  up  the  harbour  lay 
three  large  hulks,  with  their  lower  masts  only  stand- 
ing; they  were  high  out  of  the  water,  showing  that 
they  had  no  cargoes  in  them.  There  were  also  several 
smaller  craft,  but  all  were  dismantled,  and  looked  as  if 
they  had  been  there  for  some  time.  The  French,  then, 
had  a  settlement  on  the  island.  The  inhabitants  were 
sure  to  be  armed,  and  probably  were  as  numerous  as 
our  party.  If  so,  it  would  be  unwise  to  attempt 
gaining  anything  by  force,  though  of  course  we  might 


Life  on  the  Island.  139 

surprise  them.  We  waited  till  the  people  in  the  boats 
had  had  time  to  turn  in  and  go  to  sleep,  and  then 
descended  to  reconnoitre  the  place  more  nearly.  We 
crept  cautiously  on  till  we  reached  several  scattered 
cottages,  or  huts  rather,  built,  without  any  regularity, 
as  the  nature  of  the  ground  seemed  most  suitable. 
There  were  also  two  or  three  storehouses  close  to  the 
water;  indeed,  we  saw  enough  to  show  us  that  there 
was  a  regular  settlement  made  by  the  French  for  the 
purpose  of  refitting  their  ships.  The  barking  of 
several  poodles  in  the  cottages  made  us  afraid  of 
moving  about  much,  lest  their  inmates  should  look 
out  and  discover  us.  We  therefore  retraced  our  steps 
to  the  hill. 

"  A  magnificent  idea,"  exclaimed  Trundle,  as  soon  as 
we  called  a  halt.  "  We'll  surprise  and  capture  the 
place  and  hold  it  for  the  King  of  England.  You'll  be 
made  governor,  Braithwaite,  to  a  certainty." 

"  To  be  turned  out  by  the  first  French  privateer 
which  enters  the  harbour — to  be  thrown  into  prison 
and  perhaps  shot.  Thank  you,"  said  I,  "  I  would  rather 
not." 

"This  establishment  solves  a  mystery,"  observed 
William.  "  We  have  often  been  puzzled  to  know  what 
has  become  of  vessels  which  have  disappeared,  and 
which,  from  the  fineness  of  the  weather,  and  for  other 
reasons,  we  did  not  suppose  had  been  lost.  We  should 
do  good  service  if  we  could  get  away  without  being 
discovered,  and  send  some  of  our  cruisers  to  watch  in 
the  neighbourhood." 


140  James  Braithwaite. 

I  agreed  with  William ;  at  the  same  time  the  idea 
of  capturing  the  place  was  very  attractive.  If  we 
should  make  the  attempt  and  succeed,  however,  we 
should  find  liquor  there,  and  the  seamen  would  cer- 
tainly get  drunk  and  mutinous.  No  object  would  be 
gained,  either,  unless  we  could  immediately  send  a 
vessel  to  sea,  to  give  notice  at  the  Mauritius  of  our 
success  and  obtain  assistance.  Discussions  on  these 
points  occupied  us  till  daylight,  when  we  recommenced 
our  journey  to  the  tents.  The  news  we  brought  was 
so  far  satisfactory  to  our  companions,  that  we  were 
not  likely  to  be  starved  to  death,  and  as  peace  would 
come  some  day  or  other,  we  might  then  hope  to  make 
our  escape.  No  one,  however,  seemed  at  all  desirous 
of  attacking  the  French  settlement ;  the  risk  was  con- 
siderable, the  gain  problematical.  It  was  finally  agreed 
that  we  should  remain  quiet  where  we  were,  and  only 
in  case  of  extremity  make  ourselves  known  to  our 
foreign  neighbours.  The  more  energetic  of  the  party 
became,  as  may  be  supposed,  very  impatient  of  the 
inactive  life  we  were  compelled  to  lead.  We  could  do 
little  else  than  fish  all  day,  and  make  expeditions  in 
search  of  water.  In  this  we  were  at  last  successful; 
the  spring  was  more  than  a  mile  away,  and  it  became 
a  question  whether  we  should  move  our  camp-  there, 
the  objection  to  our  so  doing  being  that  it  was  so 
much  nearer  the  French  settlement.  The  next  morn- 
ing, on  going  near  the  spot  where  the  captain  and  his 
companions  had  erected  their  tent,  I  saw  no  one  moving. 
I  called  to  them.  There  was  no  reply.  I  went  to  the 


Life  on  the  Island.  141 

tent.  It  was  empty  !  It  was  supposed  that  they  had 
gone  to  the  newly-discovered  spring,  but  those  who 
had  gone  to  bring  water  from  it  told  us  that  they  were 
not  there.  While  we  were  wondering  what  had  become 
of  the  men,  as  William  happened  to  be  sweeping  the 
horizon  with  his  telescope,  he  cried  out  that  he  saw  a 
sail  in  the  offing.  In  a  short  time  afterwards  another 
was  descried,  her  topsails  gradually  rising  out  of  the 
water.  She  was  pronounced  to  be  larger  than  the 
first  which  had  appeared. 

"  It  is  that  scoundrel  La  Koche  again ! "  exclaimed 
O'Carroll,  after  eyeing  the  nearest  stranger  for  some 
time.  "  I  knew  that  it  would  not  be  long  before  he 
would  be  back  again,  and  there  he  comes  with  a  big 
prize,  depend  on  it." 

"  But  suppose,  instead  of  the  big  ship  being  his  prize, 
he  has  been  captured  by  one  of  our  cruisers,  and  has 
been  sent  in  first  to  show  the  way  ?  "  I  suggested. 

''No,  no,  the  headmost  craft  is  the  Mignonne,  and 
the  big  one  is  an  Indiaman,  her  prize,  depend  on  that," 
said  O'Carroll. 

There  seemed  every  probability  that  he  was  right, 
but  this  did  not  increase  our  satisfaction.  The  only 
thing  that  could  be  said  was  that  we  should  now  have 
companions  in  our  misfortune.  As  may  be  supposed, 
however,  we  watched  the  approach  of  the  two  ships 
with  the  greatest  interest,  feeling  assured  that  in  some 
way  or  other  they  would  have  a  Considerable  influence 
on  our  fate. 


CHAPTER  X. 

AN  ANXIOUS  TIME. 

OUR  anxiety  to  ascertain  the  fate  of  those  on  board 
the  ship  which  the  Mignonne  had  brought  in  as 
a  prize  induced  me,  with  my  brother  William  and 
Trundle,  to  make  another  expedition  to  the  French 
settlement.  We  ventured  much  nearer  during  day- 
light than  we  had  done  the  first  time,  as  we  were 
certain  that  the  people  would  be  watching  the  arrival 
of  the  privateer  and  her  prize.  We  were  able,  indeed, 
to  reach  a  spot  overlooking  the  harbour,  where,  among 
some  thick  bushes,  we  concealed  ourselves  before  the 
ships  came  to  an  anchor.  William  had  brought  his 
telescope,  and  we  could  almost  see  the  countenances  of 
the  people  on  the  decks  of  the  ships.  The  large  one 
was,  we  saw  at  once,  an  Indiaman  outward  bound. 
We  knew  that  by  the  number  of  young  men  and  the 
young  ladies  on  board,  and  their  clear  ruddy  com- 
plexions. Had  she  been  homeward  bound,  there  would 
be  old  yellow-faced  generals  and  judges,  black  nurses, 
sickly  ladies,  and  little  children. 

We  anxiously  watched  the  proceedings  of  those  on 
board.  The  passengers  were  walking  up  and  down 
in  a  very  disconsolate  mood  :  the  crew  were  clustered 


An  Anxious   Time.  143 

forward.  By  their  looks  and  gestures  as  they  cast 
their  eyes  towards  the  privateer,  we  thought  that  even 
then  they  were  about  to  attack  the  Frenchman,  and 
attempt  to  regain  their  liberty. 

"I  hope  they  will.  I  should  like  to  help  them," 
exclaimed  William  and  Trundle,  starting  up  simulta- 
neously. 

I  drew  them  back.  "  Nonsense  !  we  could  not  help 
them,  and  they  will  not  make  the  attempt,"  I  said. 
"  See,  the  Frenchmen  are  going  on  board  armed.  They 
know  what  they  are  about." 

Two  large  boats  with  armed  men  were  pulling  from 
the  privateer  to  the  Indiaman  to  strengthen  her  prize 
crew,  while  Captain  La  Roche  was  going  on  board  her 
in  his  gig.  He  was  soon  up  her  side,  and  began  bow- 
ing and  scraping  away  most  politely  to  the  passengers, 
especially  to  the  ladies.  We  could  almost  fancy  that 
we  heard  him  apologising  to  them  for  the  inconvenience 
and  disappointment  he  was  causing  them,  with  a  spice 
of  mockery  in  his  tone,  suggesting  that  it  was  the 
fortune  of  war,  and  that  another  day  their  turn  might 
come  uppermost.  The  crew  of  the  Indiaman  were 
then  sent  down  the  side,  and  rowed  off  to  one  of  the 
hulks,  while  the  passengers  were  conveyed  to  another. 

"  Then  those  hulks  are  prison  ships  after  all,"  ob- 
served William,  when  the  operation  was  concluded. 
"  We  may  get  on  board  them  and  let  out  the  prisoners 
some  day." 

In  this  I  partly  agreed  with  him,  though  I  could 
not  help  seeing  the  difficulties  in  the  way.  Even  this 


144  James  Braithwaite. 

hope  was  likely  to  be  frustrated,  for  as  we  watched 
the  Frenchmen  who  came  on  shore,  we  saw  that  they 
were  joined  by  several  men  whom  we  had  little 
difficulty  in  recognising  as  the  crew  of  the  wrecked 
ship,  the  very  people  who  had  lately  deserted  us.  The 
mate  was  with  them,  but  we  did  not  see  the  captain. 
Perhaps,  drunkard  as  he  was,  he  was  ashamed  to  go 
over  to  the  enemy.  All  the  party  now  entered  a 
drinking-house  together,  being  evidently  on  the  most 
friendly  terms. 

We  had  therefore  no  longer  any  doubt  that  our 
existence  would  be  made  known  to  the  privateer's 
men,  and  that  the  difficulty  of  surprising  them  would 
consequently  be  much  greater  than  we  had  calculated 
on.  We  found  that  it  was  time  to  retrace  our  steps, 
all  we  had  gained  from  our  expedition  being  the 
knowledge  that  many  of  our  countrymen  and  country- 
women were  in  even  a  worse  condition  than  we  were. 
Our  report  when  we  got  back  to  the  tents  put  our 
companions  very  much  out  of  spirits.  What  were  we 
to  do  ?  was  the  question.  Some  proposed  that  we 
should  go  at  once  and  deliver  ourselves  up  to  the 
French,  petitioning  for  their  clemency.  O'Carroll 
strongly  opposed  this. 

"  We  are  at  liberty  now,  boys :  if  we  once  get  into 
the  hands  of  these  French  they  will  be  our  masters, 
and  make  us  do  what  they  like,"  he  observed ;  and  his 
influence,  supported  as  he  was  by  us,  carried  the  point. 

We  wondered  that  Jacotot  did  not  betake  himself 
to  his  countrymen ;  but  he  laughed  and  said  that  he 


An  Anxious  Time.  145 

was  now  an  English  subject,  that  he  should  then  be 
only  one  atnong  many,  that  he  was  with  us  not  only 
the  principal  cook,  but  the  only  man  worthy  to  be 
called  a  cook;  indeed,  that  he  was  perfectly  content 
to  continue  to  share  our  fortunes. 

As  several  days  passed  and  we  received  no  visit 
from  the  Frenchmen,  we  began  to  hope  that  the  sea- 
men had  not  betrayed  us.  So  far  that  was  satisfactory, 
but  had  they  remained  faithful,  I  think  that  there  is 
little  doubt  that  we  should  have  attempted  the  rescue 
of  the.  prisoners.  At  last  once  more  we  saw  the 
Mignonne  put  to  sea ;  and  immediately  on  this,  with 
O'Carroll  and  Sam  Kelson  in  company,  after  watching 
for  some  time  without  seeing  anything  of  the  English 
sailors,  we  therefore  conjectured  that  either  they  had 
quarrelled  with  the  French  and  been  put  in  prison,  or 
had  gone  on  board  the  privateer — too  probably  the 
latter.  After  a  consultation,  we  agreed  that  we  would, 
at  all  events,  pay  a  visit  to  the  passengers  of  the  India- 
man.  The  French  could  scarcely  think  it  necessary  to 
keep  guards  constantly  watching  them,  and  we  might 
therefore  easily  accomplish  the  undertaking.  We  ac- 
cordingly set  off  to  move  round  the  harbour,  intending 
to  conceal  ourselves  in  some  spot  near  the  Indiaman, 
that  we  might  watch  our  opportunity  for  getting  on 
board.  We  had  gone  on  for  some  distance,  and  were 
approaching  the  spot,  concealing  ourselves  carefully 
as  we  advanced,  when  sounds  of  laughter  reached 
our  ears — honest  English  laughter.  We  stole  on,  very 
much  inclined  to  join  in  it,  considering  that  we  had  not 

10 


146  James  BraithwaiU. 

had  a  good  laugh  for  some  time,  when  from  some  rocks 
up  which  we  climbed  we  saw  below  us  a  large  party  of 
ladies  and  gentlemen  engaged  in  discussing  a  dinner  in 
picnic  fashion  on  the  grass.  They  all  seemed  remark- 
ably merry  and  happy.  The  younger  gentlemen  were 
running  about  helping  the  ladies,  and  doing  the  polite 
in  the  most  approved  fashion. 

Trundle  smacked  his  lips  so  loudly  at  the  sight  that 
some  of  the  party  turned  a  hasty  glance  in  the  direc- 
tion where  we  lay  hidden,  supposing  probably  that 
the  noise  was  made  by  some  bird  in  the  foliage  above 
their  heads.  In  a  short  time  one  of  the  young  gentle- 
men was  called  on  for  a  song.  He  without  hesitation 
complied.  I  forget  the  strain.  It  was  a  right  merry 
one.  Another  followed  him,  and  then  another. 

"I  say,  Braithwaite,"  whispered  Toby  Trundle,  "just 
let  me  go  down  and  introduce  myself,  and  then  you 
know  I  can  introduce  you  all,  and  I'm  sure  that  they 
will  be  glad  to  make  your  acquaintance." 

I  nodded  to  Toby,  and  in  an  instant  he  slid  down 
the  rock,  and  was  in  the  very  midst  of  the  party 
before  any  one  observed  where  he  had  come  from. 
Their  looks  of  astonishment  at  finding  an  English 
midshipman  among  them  were  amusing. 

"  Why,  where  have  you  dropped  from,  youngster  ? " 
exclaimed  a  civilian,  a  judge  returning  from — what 
was  more  unusual  in  those  days  than  at  present — a 
visit  to  England.  "  The  clouds  ? " 

"Not  exactly;  'tis  but  from  up  there,  where  I  have 
a  number  of  friends  who  would  be  glad  to  make 'your 


An  Anxious  Time.  147 

acquaintance,"  answered  Toby  promptly.  "  May  I  in- 
troduce them  ? " 

"  By  all  means — very  happy  to  see  them,"  answered 
the  nabob,  as  all  civil  servants  of  the  Company  were 
called  in  those  days  if  they  were  well  up  the  tree,  and 
had  made  money.  "  Bring  them  down  at  once." 

"  I  have  not  a  gun,  sir,  or  I  might  do  it ;  but  I'll 
hail  them,  which  will  answer  the  purpose,"  answered 
Master  Toby,  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye. 

We  scarcely  waited  for  his  call,  but  tumbling  down 
one  after  the  other,  we  stood  before  the  assembled 
company,  to  whom  Toby,  looking  'as  grave  as  a  judge, 
introduced  us  formally  by  name,  finishing  off  with 
"Sam  Kelson,  boatswain's  mate  of  his  Britannic 
Majesty's  frigate  Phoebe? 

"  The  very  ship  we  spoke  the  day  before  we  were 
captured,"  observed  our  friend  the  judge.  "  She  was 
on  the  look-out  for  Captain  La  Roche  and  his  merry 
men,  and  if  she  falls  in  with  them,  they  will  have  a 
hard  matter  to  escape ;  but  sit  down,  gentlemen,  we 
are  very  glad  to  make  your  acquaintance.  We  are 
companions  in  misfortune,  though  in  some  respects 
you  have  the  advantage  over  us,  by  being  at  liberty." 

We  found  that  the  passengers  were  allowed  to  live 
as  before  on  board  the  Indiaman,  and  were  under  no 
sort  of  restraint,  they  having  given  their  word  not  to 
attempt  to  escape  from  the  island  while  the  French 
had  possession  of  it.  We  were  treated  in  the  most 
friendly  manner  by  all  the  party,  Sam  Kelson  finding 
a  companion  in  a  corporal,  the  servant  of  a  military 


148  James  Braithwaite. 

"^*s* 

officer  going  out  to  rejoin  his  regiment.  Trundle  soon 
let  out  to  our  new  friends  the  intention  we  had  enter- 
tained of  trying  to  release  them.  They  thanked  us, 
but  said  that  the  attempt  would  have  been  useless,  as 
the  mouth  of  the  harbour  was  strongly  guarded.  There 
were  a  good  many  other  people  on  board  the  ships, 
while  the  officers  and  seamen  remained  strictly  guarded, 
and  were  not  allowed  to  visit  the  shore,  except  when  the 
Mignonne  or  some  other  privateer  ship  of  war  was  in 
the  harbour.  Their  only  fear  was  that  they  might  run 
short  of  provisions  before  they  were  released,  or  that 
at  all  events  they  should  have  to  live  on  very  coarse 
and  scanty  food.  They  advised  us  to  keep  out  of  the 
Frenchmen's  sight,  lest  we  should  be  pounced  on  and 
treated  as  searncn  and  belligerents ;  this  we  very 
readily  promised  to  do.  Altogether  we  had  a  very 
pleasant  and  merry  meeting,  and  were  sorry  when 
our  friends  told  us  that  the  hour  for  their  return  on 
board  had  arrived.  It  was  arranged  that  they  should 
have  another  picnic  party  in  the  same  spot  in  three 
days,  and  they  kindly  invited  us  to  join  them.  On 
our  way  back  we  had,  as  may  be  supposed,  plenty  of 
subjects  for  conversation. 

"  That  Miss  Mary  Mason,"  said  Toby,  "  is  a  sweetly 
pretty  girl.  I  would  go  through  fire  and  water  to 
serve  her." 

"  And  Julia  Arundel  is  one  of  the  most  lively,  ani- 
mated girls  I  have  met  for  a  long  time,"  remarked 
William,  with  a  sigh.  I  had  observed  O'Carroll  in 
conversation  with  a  lady  who  seemed  to  be  a  former 


An  Anxious  Time.  149 

acquaintance.  He  told  me  that  he  had  known  her  in 
her  younger  and  happier  days,  that  she  had  married 
an  officer  in  India,  had  come  home  with  three  children, 
who  had  all  died,  and  that  she  was  now  on  her  way 
to  rejoin  her  husband. 

"  Her  case  is  a  very  hard  one,"  he  remarked. 

"  So  I  suspect  we  shall  find  are  the  cases  of  many," 
I  answered.  "  Sad  indeed  are  the  effects  of  war ! 
The  non-combatants  suffer  more  even  than  the  com- 
batants. That  is  to  say,  a  far  greater  number  of 
people  suffer  who  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  fight- 
ing than  those  who  actually  carry  on  the  murderous 
work.  Oh,  when  will  war  cease  throughout  the 
world  ? " 

"  Not  until  the  depraved  heart  of  man  is  changed, 
and  Satan  himself  is  chained,  unable  further  to  hurt 
the  human  race,"  answered  O'Carroll.  "  What  has 
always  struck  me,  besides  the  wickedness  of  war,  is 
its  utter  folly.  Who  ever  heard  of  a  war  in  which 
both  sides  did  not  come  off  losers  ?  The  gain  in  a 
war  can  never  make  amends  for  the  losses,  the  men 
slain,  the  physical  suffering,  the  grief:  the  victorious 
side  feel  that  only  in  a  less  degree  than  the  losers." 

I  cordially  agreed  with  him.  Yet  how  many 
hundreds  were  daily  falling  at  that  time  in  warfare 
— how  many  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  were  yet 
to  fall,  to  gratify  the  insane  ambition  of  a  single  man, 
permitted  to  be  the  fearful  scourge  that  he  was  to 
the  human  race  ?  We  said  as  little  about  our  ex- 
pedition as  we  could,  for  the  emigrants,  as  soon  as 


150  James  Braithwaite. 

they  heard  of  so  many  of  their  countrymen  being  in 
the  neighbourhood,  were  eager  to  set  out  to  see  them. 
"We,  however,  persuaded  them  to  remain  where  they 
were,  for  a  visit  of  so  large  a  party  would  not  fail  to 
be  discovered  by  the  French,  and  greatly  increase 
the  annoyances  of  our  position.  We,  however,  paid 
our  second  visit  to  the  passengers  of  the  Indiaman, 
and  found  them  on  shore  at  the  place  where  we  had 
first  met  them.  Their  spirits,  however,  had  already 
begun  to  flag ;  their  guards  had  been  less  courteous 
than  at  first,  sickness  had  attacked  two  or  three, 
gloomy  apprehensions  were  troubling  the  minds  of 
many.  Still  we  had  a  pleasant  dinner,  and  the  song 
and  the  jest  went  round  as  before.  The  two  mid- 
shipmen were  the  merriest  of  the  party,  and  paid, 
as  may  be  supposed,  the  most  devoted  attention  to 
the  two  young  ladies  whom  they  thought  fit  to  admire. 
Their  happiness  was,  however,  disagreeably  inter- 
rupted by  the  appearance  in  our  midst  of  half-a-dozen 
armed  Frenchmen.  They  nodded  familiarly  at  us. 
"  Bien,  messieurs ;  you  have  saved  us  the  trouble  of 
going  to  fetch  you,"  said  one  of  them,  in  a  sarcastic 
tone.  "You  will  not  leave  this,  but  as  you  are 
seamen,  you  will  accompany  us  to  the  prison  ship." 

We  soon  found  that  they  had  been  made  acquainted 
by  the  seamen  of  the  Kangaroo  of  our  being  on  the 
island,  and  had  only  waited  for  leisure  to  go  and 
bring  us  to  the  settlement.  Another  party  had  al- 
ready been  dispatched  to  bring  in  the  emigrants,  and 
from  the  rough  unmannerly  way  in  which  these 


An  Anxious  Time.  151 

treated  our  new  friends,  we  could  not  but  feel  the 
gravest  apprehensions  as  to  the  indignities  to  which 
they  might  be  subjected.  Our  own  existence  in  the 
hands  of  lawless  ruffians  would  be  very  different  from 
what  it  had  hitherto  been.  The  appearance  of  these 
unwelcome  visitors  completely  broke  up  the  picnic 
party,  and  while  our  friends  returned  to  their  ship, 
we  were  marched  off  towards  one  of  the  hulks.  We 
soon  had  evidence  of  the  bad  disposition  of  our  captors 
towards  us,  for  Toby  Trundle,  who  was  very  indig- 
nant at  being  thus  caught,  beginning  to  saunter  along 
as  if  he  had  no  intention  of  hurrying  himself  to  please 
them,  one  of  them  threatened  to  give  him  a  prog  with 
his  bayonet.  As  we  were  walking  along  as  slowly 
as  Trundle  could  contrive  to  go,  the  sound  of  a  shot 
reached  our  ears.  It  came  from  the  sea.  Our  guards 
started  and  talked  rapidly  to  each  other.  Several 
other  shots  followed  in  succession,  some  close  together. 

"  There  are  two  at  it,  of  that  I  am  sure,"  exclaimed 
O'Carroll. 

The  Frenchmen  continued  their  gesticulations  with 
increased  animation.  They  were  evidently  eager  to 
get  to  the  mouth  of  the  harbour,  whence  they  could 
look  seaward. 

"  They  think  that  there  is  something  in  the  wind, 
depend  on  that,"  observed  Trundle. 

Presently  the  firing  became  more  and  more  rapid, 
seeming  to  our  ears  to  come  nearer  and  nearer.  The 
Frenchmen  could  no  longer  restrain  their  eagerness  to 
learn  the  cause  of  the  firing,  and  totally  disregarding, 


152  James  Braithwaite. 

probably  indeed  forgetting  us,  off  they  set  running 
towards  the  shore  as  fast  as  their  legs  could  carry 
them.  We  waited  for  a  few  minutes  to  let  them  have 
a  fair  start,  and  then  followed  in  their  wake  for  some 
distance,  turning  off,  however,  after  a  time,  to  the 
right,  so  that,  should  they  come  back  to  look  for  us, 
we  might  not  so  easily  be  found.  We  in  a  short 
time  reached  a  high  rocky  mound,  whence  we  got  a 
view  of  the  sea  spread  out  before  us.  Within  a  mile 
and  a  half  of  the  land  were  two  ships,  both  with  top- 
gallant sails  set,  standing  in  close-hauled  towards  the 
harbour.  The  wind  was  somewhat  off  the  land,  but 
yet,  if  it  continued  steady,  it  was  possible  that  they 
might  fetch  the  harbour-mouth.  Such,  it  appeared 
evident,  was  the  object  of  the  one,  while  to  prevent 
her  so  doing  was  the  aim  of  the  other,  which  was  the 
larger  and  nearer  to  us.  As  soon  as  the  two  midship- 
men set  eyes  on  the  latter,  they  clapped  their  hands 
like  children  with  delight,  exclaiming  at  the  top  of 
their  voices,  "  The  Phcehe  !  the  Phoebe !  hurrah ! 
hurrah  !"  O'Carroll  took  a  more  steady  glance  at  the 
other  ship,  and  then  shouted,  with  no  less  delight, 
"And  that's  the  Mignonne,  and  La  Roche's  day  has 
come  at  last." 

"  I  should  hope  so,  indeed,"  cried  Trundle  ;  "  depend 
on  it  the  Phoebe  won't  have  done  with  him  till  she 
has  made  him  eat  a  big  dish  of  humble  pie." 

The  frigate  kept  firing  rapidly  her  foremost  guns 
at  the  Frenchman,  who  replied  to  them  in  a  spirited 
manner  with  his  aftermost  ones,  as  they  could  be 


An  Anxious  Time.  153 

brought  to  bear.  He  was  all  the  time  luffing  up, 
trying  to  eat  into  the  wind,  as  it  were ;  but  as  that  was 
scant,  it  gave  the  Phoebe,  which  was  well  to  windward, 
a  great  advantage,  and  she  was  now  rapidly  coming 
up  with  him.  As  she  did  so,  she  every  now  and  then 
luffed  up  for  an  instant,  and  let  fly  her  whole  broad- 
side, doing  considerable  execution.  We  eagerly 
watched  the  effect  of  the  shot.  The  Frenchman's 
sails  were  soon  riddled,  and  several  of  his  spars 
seemed  to  be  wounded,  many  of  his  ropes,  too,  hang- 
ing in  festoons.  At  last,  directly  after  another 
broadside,  down  came  his  spanker  gaff,  shot  away 
in  the  jaws,  while  the  mizen  topsail  braces  shared 
the  same  fate.  In  vain  the  crew  ran  aloft  to  repair 
the  damage ;  the  ship  rapidly  fell  off,  and  all  prospect 
of  her  fetching  up  to  the  harbour  was  lost,  unless  by  a 
miracle  the  wind  should  suddenly  shift  round.  The 
instant  the  sail  came  down,  the  midshipmen  gave  vent 
to  their  feelings  of  exultation  in  a  loud  "  Hip,  hip, 
hurrah  ! "  in  which  we  could  not  help  joining  them, 
and  the  crew  of  the  Phoebe,  whom  we  could  fancy  at 
the  moment  doing  the  same  thing. 

"Don't  be  too  sure  that  the  Mignonne  is  taken, 
however,"  cried  0 'Carroll.  "  I  never  saw  a  faster 
craft,  and  see,  she  is  keeping  away,  and  going  to  try 
what  her  heels  can  do  for  her,  dead  before  the  wind." 

The  Mignonne,  however,  could  not  keep  away 
without  being  raked  by  the  Phoebe,  whose  shot,  now 
delivered  low,  must  have  told  with  fearful  effect  along 
her  decks.  This  done,  the  Phozbe  instantly  bore  up 


154  James  Braithwaite. 

in  chase,  and  not  having  lost  a  spar,  though  her  sails 
had  several  shot-holes  through  them,  rapidly  gained 
on  her.  The  Frenchmen,  to  give  themselves  every 
chance  of  escape,  were  now  busily  employed  in  getting 
out  studden-sail  booms,  in  spite  of  the  shot  which 
went  whizzing  after  them.  In  a  marvellously  short 
space  of  time  a  wide  spread  of  canvas  was  exhibited 
on  either  side,  showing  that,  though  many  of  her 
men  had  fallen,  she  had  a  numerous  and  well-trained 
crew. 

"They  are  smart  fellows,  indeed,"  I  remarked. 
"  Many  of  them  fight  with  halters  round  their  necks." 

"That  makes  fellows  smart  in  more  senses  than 
one,"  answered  O'Carroll. 

The  PJioebe,  of  course,  had  to  set  her  studden-sails, 
and  away  the  two  ships  glided  before  the  freshening 
breeze.  We  watched  them  with  breathless  interest. 
Their  speed  at  first  seemed  so  equal  that  the  chased 
had  still,  it  seemed,  a  chance  of  escaping. 

"  Trust  to  our  captain,  he'll  stick  to  her  till  he  has 
made  her  strike,  or  he  will  chase  her  round  the 
world,"  said  the  two  midshipmen,  in  the  same  breath. 

The  Mignonne  was  firing  away  all  the  time  with 
her  stern  chasers,  while  the  frigate  was  replying  from 
those  at  her  bows.  They  were  both  firing  at  each 
other's  spars,  the  one  hoping,  by  crippling  her  op- 
ponent, to  escape,  the  other  to  prevent  her  doing  so. 
What  had  become  of  our  guards  all  this  time  we  had 
not  for  a  moment  thought,  while  we  hoped  that  they 
had  equally  forgotten  us.  The  chase,  indeed,  probably 


An  Anxious  Time.  155 

absorbed  their  attention  as  it  did  ours.  Few  of  us 
doubted  that  the  English  frigate  would  ultimately 
capture  the  Frenchman;  but  should  she  do  so  would 
she  of  necessity  come  back  with  her  prize  to  our 
island,  or  would  she  sail  away,  and,  perhaps  ignorant 
of  our  existence,  leave  us  to  our  fate  ?  One  thing 
was  evident,  that  we  ought  to  guard  ourselves  against 
the  insolence  of  the  French  garrison.  The  men  were 
evidently  the  scum  of  society,  and  should  they  find 
themselves  without  restraint,  it  was  impossible  to  say 
what  atrocities  they  might  not  commit.  Anxious 
as  we  were  to  know  the  result  of  the  chase,  we  agreed 
at  once  to  go  back  to  our  friends  to  give  them  warning, 
and  to  consult  with  them  what  steps  to  adopt.  Be- 
fore leaving  our  look-out  place  we  took  one  more 
anxious  glance  at  the  two  ships.  Both  O'Carroll  and 
the  midshipmen  declared  that  the  Phoebe  was  positively 
overhauling  the  Mignonne,  and  that  in  a  short  time 
we  should  see  the  latter  haul  down  her  flag.  I 
doubted  it. 


o 


CHAPTER  XL 

ATTACKED  BY  TUE  FRENCH  FLEET. 

TJR  friends  on  board  the  Indiaman  were  thrown 
into  high  spirits  on  hearing  of  the  prospect  of 
being  released.  They  advised  us,  however,  to  get  on 
shore  again  as  fast  as  we  could,  and  hide  ourselves, 
lest  the  soldiers,  hoping  to  be  ultimately  successful, 
should  ill-treat  us  for  having  run  away  from  them. 
We  told  them  that  our  intention  had  been  to  release 
all  the  English  prisoners,  and  to  overpower  the 
Frenchmen. 

"Blood  will  be  shed  if  you  do,  to  no  purpose," 
observed  the  judge;  "should  the  frigate  be  successful 
and  come  back  here,  as  I  have  no  doubt  she  will,  we 
shall  be  released  ;  if  the  Mignonne  escapes  and  returns, 
her  crew  would  quickly  again  overpower  us  and 
obtain  what  they  wish,  a  good  excuse  for  ill-treating 
us,  of  which  they  will  not  fail  to  avail  themselves." 

The  judge's  opinion  carried  the  day,  and  we  hurried 
on  shore,  and  returned  by  a  circuitous  route  to  the 
spot  whence  we  had  witnessed  the  engagement  between 
the  two  vessels.  William  eagerly  swept  the  dark 
well-defined  line  of  the  horizon  with  his  telescope. 

"  Hurrah  !  there  is  one — yes,  there  are   two   sails  ! 


Attacked  by  the  French  Fleet.  157 

Here,  O'Carroll,  see  what  you  can  make  out  of  them, " 
he  exclaimed,  handing  him  the  glass. 

It  was  some  time  before  O'Carroll  would  pronounce 
an  opinion.  He  then  declared  positively  that  there  were 
two  ships,  and  that  they  were  approaching  the  land. 
There  was  a  strong  breeze.  We  sat  down  on  the 
ground,  watching  anxiously.  They  came  nearer  and 
nearer.  We  had  no  longer  any  doubt  that  the  Phoebe, 
had  captured  the  privateer.  The  midshipmen  de- 
clared positively  that  the  largest  was  their  ship. 

"  We  ought  to  know  her,  though,  to  be  sure,  it  is 
more  of  the  inside  than  the  out  we  see  of  her,"  observed 
Toby. 

All  our  doubts  were  set.at  rest  at  length,  when  the 
British  ensign  was  seen  flying  proudly  over  that  of 
the  French. 

Three  cheers  burst  almost  involuntarily  from  our 
throats,  which  could  hardly  have  failed  to  have  shown 
our  whereabouts  to  the  French  soldiers ;  but  if  they 
guessed  the  cause,  they  thought  it  prudent  to  take  no 
notice  of  our  proceedings,  but,  as  we  supposed,  hurried 
back  to  their  abodes,  to  conceal  any  property  of  value 
which  they  might  possess.  William  and  Trundle 
meantime  were  unable  to  resist  the  temptation  of 
going  on  board  the  Indiaman,  to  give  our  new  friends 
the  joyful  news.  They  said  that  they  should  be  back 
in  plenty  of  time  to  see  the  ships  enter  the  harbour. 
O'Carroll  and  I  preferred  waiting  to  watch  proceedings. 
At  length  the  frigate  and  privateer  got  close  in  with 
the  land,  when  both  hove  to.  What  was  now  to 


158  James  Braithwaite. 

happen  ?  Boats  were  seen  passing  between  the  two 
vessels,  and  then  the  Mignonnes  head  came  slowly 
round  towards  the  mouth  of  the  harbour,  and  on  she 
glided  towards  it.  The  flags  remained  as  they  were, 
and  men,  we  saw,  were  stationed  at  the  guns.  Some 
opposition  was  'probably  expected.  There  was  a  fort 
at  the  entrance  of  the  harbour — not  a  very  formidable- 
looking  affair — with  five  ship's  guns  mounted  in  it. 
Round  them  we  saw  the  greater  part  of  the  mongrel 
garrison  clustering  as  if  they  were  going  to  show  fight, 
but  if  so,  they  thought  better  of  it,  for,  after  a  short 
consultation,  they  sneaked  away,  leaving  the  fort  to 
take  care  of  itself.  The  Mignonne  came  gliding  on, 
bearing  evident  traces  in  her  masts  and  rigging  of  the 
punishment  she  had  received,  and  of  the  obstinacy — 
or  what  would  have  been  valour  in  a  better  cause — 
with  which  she  had  been  defended.  We  met  the  mid- 
shipmen running  down  towards  the  landing-place,  and 
jumping  into  the  first  boat  we  could  find,  we  got 
alongside  her  directly  she  dropped  anchor. 

"  Why,  Braithwaite,  Trundle  !  where  have  you  come 
from?"  exclaimed  several  voices,  as  the  midshipmen 
clambered  up  the  side. 

They  soon  gave  an  account  of  themselves,  and  I  need 
scarcely  say  that  we  were  heartily  welcomed  by  the 
officers  of  the  Phoebe  in  charge  of  the  prize,  who  were 
in  high  spirits  at  having  captured  a  vessel  which  had 
proved  one  of  the  greatest  pests  to  British  commerce 
in  the  Eastern  seas.  The  Frenchmen  had  not  yielded 
till  more  than  a  third  of  their  number  lay  dead  or 


Attacked  by  the  French  Fleet.  159 

desperately  wounded  on  her  decks.  Among  them 
were  several  of  the  seamen  of  the  unfortunate  Kan- 
garoo, including  her  wretched  captain  and  mate. 
The  survivors  of  the  Englishmen  declared  that  they 
had  been  forced  on  board  and  compelled  to  fight.  We 
declined  to  express  any  opinion  on  the  subject.  All 
we  could  say  was  that  we  had  missed  them  from  the 
encampment,  and  had  every  reason  to  suppose  that 
they  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  French.  They 
thus  escaped  hanging,  which  I  certainly  believe  they 
deserved.  The  chief  offenders  had  already  paid  the 
penalty  of  their  crimes.  I  need  scarcely  describe  the 
delight  of  the  passengers  of  the  Indiaman  on  finding 
that  they  could  now  proceed  on  their  voyage,  or  of  the 
prisoners  who  were  released  from  the  different  hulks. 
They  were  the  officers  and  seamen  taken  in  different 
prizes  by  the  Mignonne.  The  excuse  the  Frenchmen 
gave  for  treating  them  thus  barbarously  was  that  the 
French  taken  by  English  cruisers  were  shut  up  on 
board  hulks  in  English  harbours  without  good  food 
or  any  exercise.  They  pretended  not  to  understand 
that,  in  one  instance,  the  prisoners  would  inevitably 
have  escaped  had  they  been  left  at  liberty,  while  in 
the  present  they  had  had  no  opportunity  of  escaping. 
The  mouth  of  the  harbour  having  been  surveyed,  the 
frigate  came  in  the  next  day,  that  her  crew  might 
assist  in  repairing  the  Mignonne  and  getting  the 
Indiaman  and  the  other  vessels  ready  for  sea.  I  Was 
curious  to  ascertain  what  O'Carroll  would  say  to 
finding  La  Roche  at  length  a  prisoner.  I  asked  him 


160  James  Braithwaite* 

if  he  would  go  on  board  the  frigate  with  me  to  see 
the  French  captain. 

"  I  would  not  do  so  to  triumph  over  a  fallen  foe,  but 
perhaps  if  I  was  to  set  eyes  on  him  again  for  a  few 
times  I  might  get  over  the  intense  dislike — even  more, 
the  dread,  I  feel  for  him,"  he  answered.  "I  have  reason 
to  feel  dislike.  He  ruined  my  prospects,  he  killed  my 
companions,  and  he  treated  me  with  every  indignity 
and  cruelty  he  could  devise  while  I  remained  on  board 
his  ship.  He  made  me  serve  him  as  a  menial — wait 
behind  his  chair,  clean  his  shoes,  arrange  his  cabin, 
and  if  I  displeased  him  he  ordered  his  men  to  flog 
me.  Ay  !  I  never  told  you  that  before,  I  was  ashamed 
to  do  so.  He  well-nigh  broke  my  spirit.  Had  I  re- 
mained much  longer  with  him  he  would  have  done  so, 
or  I  should  have  gone  mad  and  jumped  overboard. 
Still  I  will  see  him. " 

We  went  on  board  the  frigate  and  enquired  for  the 
privateer  captain.  Having  already,  it  appeared, 
broken  his  parole  in  England  when  he  had  once 
before  been  taken,  Captain  Young  had  refused  to 
receive  it,  and  he  was  therefore  confined  below  in 
a  cabin,  with  a  sentry  placed  over  him.  It  was  natu- 
rally supposed  that  he  would  otherwise  take  some 
opportunity  of  getting  on  shore,  and,  knowing  the 
locality,  might  remain  concealed  till  he  could  escape 
from  the  island  altogether.  Accompanied  by  the 
master-at-arms,  we  entered  the  cabin.  La  Roche 
was  seated  in  an  easy-chair  reading  a  book  when 
the  door  opened.  He  did  not  rise,  but,  looking  up, 


Attacked  by  the  French  Fleet.          161 

nodded  to  O'Carroll,  whom  he  seemed  instantly  to 
recognise. 

"  Ah,  mon  ami !  it's  the  fortune  of  war,  you  see. 
Once  I  had  you  in  my  power,  now  your  countrymen 
have  me,''  he  said,  in  a  cool,  unconcerned  manner. 
"  It  is  pleasant,  is  it  not  ? — pleasanter  for  you  than 
for  me.  However,  my  turn  may  come  next,  and 
then " 

"  I  hope  not.  I  hope  while  I  live  that  I  may  never 
again  be  in  your  hands  !"  exclaimed  O'Carroll,  inter- 
rupting him.  "  You  remember  how  you  treated  me  ?  " 

"  Oh,  well !  and  it  is  in  your  power  to  inform  the 
captain  of  this  frigate,  and  probably  he  will  treat 
me  in  the  same  way." 

"  No,  indeed  !  Englishmen  never  treat  their  prisoners 
as  you  treated  me, "  answered  O'Carroll ;  "  Monsieur 
knows  that  well  enough.  I  did  not  come  here  to 
insult  you ;  I  did  not  come  to  triumph  over  you.  You 
had  inspired  me  with  a  horror  I  could  not  get  over. 
I  came  here  to  be  cured.  I  am  so,  thoroughly. 
You  have  done  much  injury  to  the  commerce  of 
my  country,  and  the  only  ill  I  wish  you  is  that  you 
may  be  kept  a  close  prisoner  till  the  termination  of 
the  war,  and  never  again  be  able  to  do  an  injury 
to  Englishmen. " 

La  Roche  shrugged  his  shoulders  at  this  address, 
and  smiled.  "  Well,  you  Irishmen  are  indeed  curious. 
I  should  have  thought  that  you  would  have  liked  to 
see  me  hung  up  to  the  yard-arm, "  he  observed, 
in  the  same  cool  tone  as  before.  "However,  your 

11 


1 62  James  Braithwaite. 

moderate  wishes  may  be  gratified,  or  I  may  make  my 
escape;  and  if  I  do,  and  ever  capture  you  again,  I 
promise  you  that  I  will  remember  your  moderation, 
and  treat  you  to  the  best  of  everything  I  have  on 
board." 

We  soon  after  this  brought  our  interview  with  the 
famous  privateer  captain  to  an  end,  and  O'Carroll 
assured  me  that  all  his  unpleasant  monomaniacal 
feelings  with  regard  to  him  had  been,  as  he  hoped, 
completely  dissipated.  As  we  were  about  to  leave 
the  ship  Captain  Young  politely  invited  us  to  remain 
and  dine  with  him.  He  showed  much  interest  in 
O'Carroll's  account  of  his  misfortunes,  and  finally 
arranged  that  he  should  take  the  command  of  one  of 

o 

the  vessels  in  the  harbour  to  convey  the  emigrants  to 
New  South  Wales.  I,  of  course,  received  no  direct 
communication  from  Captain  Hassall,  but  from  the  in- 
formation Captain  Young  gave  me  I  had  great  hopes 
that  the  Barbara,  instead  of  sailing  immediately  for 
the  east,  had  gone  to  the  coast  of  Madagascar,  in  which 
direction  the  PJioebe  herself  was  bound.  Captain 
Young  offered  me  a  passage  should  I  wish  to  rejoin 
my  ship.  The  Indiarnan  being  refitted  for  sea  by  the 
united  exertions  of  all  the  crews,  we  all  sailed  out  of 
the  harbour  in  succession,  the  Phoebe  leading.  The 
Mignonne,  with  her  prize  crew  and  some  of  the  pri- 
soners on  board,  was  bound  for  the  Mauritius,  to  give 
information  of  the  capture  of  the  island ;  the  emigrant 
ship  was  bound  for  New  South  Wales,  the  Indiaman 
for  Calcutta,  we  for  Madagascar.  I  went  on  board  the 


Attacked  by  the  French  Fleet.  163 

Argo,  the  ship  commanded  by  O'Carroll.  I  found  him 
well  satisfied  with  his  change  of  circumstances.  There 
was  only  one  thing  about  which  he  was  concerned. 
La  Roche,  though  still  a  captive,  was  alive,  and  might 
soon  regain  his  liberty. 

"  If  he  does  I'm  sure  that  he  will  cause  me  trouble 
again, "  he  observed.  "  I  don't  know  what  causes  it, 
but  I  even  now  cannot  think  of  the  venomous  little 
man  without  a  feeling  of  dread — a  creeping  sensation, 
Braithwaite.  Do  you  know  what  it  is  ? " 

"  Not  exactly, "  said  I.  "  But  the  remedy  I  suggest 
is  not  to  think  of  him.  Whenever  his  image  appears 
banish  him  with  a  kick.  Or,  let  me  be  serious, 
O'Carroll.  Is  it  not  our  own  fault  if  we  go  on  living 
in  fear  of  death  all  our  life  long  ?  Put  your  trust  in 
God,  and  fear  not  what  man  can  do  to  you." 

"  You  are  right  !  you  are  right !  "  exclaimed  O'Carroll, 
warmly;  "it  is  just  the  want  of  doing  that  has  made 
me — no  coward,  as  you  know — constantly  tremble  at 
unseen  dangers.  Henceforward  I  will  try  to  follow 
your  advice. " 

"  Do,"  said  I ;  "  and  depend  on  it  your  dread  of  the 
little  Frenchman  will  completely  and  for  ever  vanish." 

I  parted  from  O'Carroll — as  honest  a  man  as  ever 
broke  a  biscuit — with  the  sincere  hope  that  we  should 
meet  again.  The  crews  of  our  respective  ships  gave 
three  hearty  cheers  as  we  separated  on  our  respective 
courses.  We  accompanied  the  Mlgnonne  for  some 
distance  towards  the  Mauritius,  when  several  sails 
were  reported  in  sight  from  the  masthead. 


164  James  Braithwaite. 

"I  hope  that  they  are  enemies!"  I  heard  Trundle 
thoughtlessly  exclaim.  "  Glorious  fun  to  have  a  fight, 
We,  too,  should  soon  give  a  good  account  of  them. " 

Both  ships  were  speedily  got  ready  for  action,  for 
in  those  days  it  was  difficult  to  sail  far  without  meet- 
ing an  enemy.  It  might  be  one  to  be  captured — 
snapped  up  in  an  instant ;  it  might  be  one  of  equal  or 
not  of  vastly  superior  size,  to  be  fought  bravely,  and 
taken  in  the  end ;  or,  mayhap,  one  so  much  larger  that 
it  would  be  necessary  to  make  all  sail  and  run  away, 
a  proceeding  not  very  often  practised  in  those  days  by 
British  naval  commanders.  It  was  rather  doubtful, 
however,  from  the  number  and  size  of  the  ships  in 
sight,  whether  we  should  not  find  it  necessary  to  have 
recourse  to  the  last  expedient.  We  continued,  how- 
ever, steering  as  before,  and  rapidly  nearing  the 
strangers,  when,  to  the  relief  of  the  less  pugnaciously 
disposed,  first  one  and  then  the  others  made  their 
number,  and  we  discovered,  as  we  got  sufficiently  near 
to  exchange  telegraph  signals,  that  they  were  three 
frigates — the  Galatea,,  Racehorse,  and  Astrea — on  their 
way  to  the  coast  of  Madagascar  to  look  after  a  French 
squadron,  which,  having  been  driven  away  from  the 
Mauritius,  had  gone  in  that  direction.  We  should 
now  be  a  fair  match  for  the  Frenchmen  whenever  we 
should  meet  them.  Having  put  most  of  our  prisoners 
well  guarded  on  board  the  Mignonne,  we  parted  from 
her,  she  to  continue  her  passage  to  the  Mauritius,  we 
to  accompany  our  consorts  in  search  of  the  enemy. 

A  bright  look-out  was  now  kept  for  the  enemy,  and 


Attacked  by  the  French  Fleet.          165 

from  sunrise  to  its  setting  the  mastheads  were  adorned 
with  eager  watchers,  each  wishing  to  be  the  first  one 
to  espy  the  Frenchmen.  However,  the  lofty  moun- 
tain ridges  of  Madagascar  hove  in  sight  before  any 
of  them  were  seen.  I  had  become  very  anxious  about 
the  fate  of  the  Barbara.  Had  she  prosecuted  her 
voyage  to  this  coast,  and  fallen  in  with  the  enemy  ? 
If  so,  she  must  have  been  captured,  and  too  pro- 
bably sent  away  to  one  of  the  settlements.  In  spite 
of  my  advice  to  O'Carroll,  this  idea  took  complete 
possession  of  my  mind,  and  I  felt  convinced  that  the 
voyage  from  which  so  much  had  been  expected  would 
come  to  nought. 

Night  closed  in  on  us,  and  the  usual  answer  was 
given  to  the  watch  below  by  those  who  had  come  off 
deck,  "Not  a  sign  of  a  sail  in  sight."  The  next 
morning  the  sun  arose  out  of  his  ocean  bed  brighter 
even  than  is  his  wont  in  that  bright  clime,  first  light- 
ing up  the  topmost  heights  of  the  mountains  with  a 
roseate  tinge,  while  a  purple  hue  still  lay  spread  over 
the  calm  ocean.  As  usual,  officers  and  men  were  going 
aloft,  with  telescopes  over  their  shoulders,  to  take  a 
look  round  for  the  enemy,  when,  as  the  sun  rose 
higher,  a  shout  of  satisfaction  burst  from  many  a 
throat,  for  there  lay,  well  in  with  the  land,  their  white 
canvas  shining  brightly  in  his  beams,  the  French 
frigates  of  which  we  were  in  search.  The  wind  came 
off  the  land,  and  we  were  far  to  leeward.  They  thus 
had  greatly  the  advantage  of  us.  We  did  our  utmost, 
however,  to  beat  up  to  them.  Every  sail  that  could 


1 66  James  Braithwaite. 

draw  was  set,  and  we  continued  to  tack  and  tack  hour 
after  hour,  hoping  to  reach  them,  and  that  some 
fortunate  shift  of  wind  would  give  us  the  weather- 
gauge  and  enable  us  to  choose  our  own  time  for' 
action.  As  I  went  along  the  decks  I  was  struck  by 
the  bold  and  determined  appearance  of  the  men  as 
they  stood  at  their  quarters,  stripped  to  the  waist,  and 
mostly  with  handkerchiefs  of  many  colours  tied  round 
their  heads.  The  costume  was  appropriate,  for  the 
heat  was  excessive,  besides  which,  sailors  know  well 
that  the  suffering  is  much  less,  should  they  be  wounded, 
if  no  pieces  of  cloth  are  carried  into  the  body  with  the 
shot.  They  were  chatting  and  laughing,  and  many 
of  them  were  cutting  all  sorts  of  jokes.  I  had  volun- 
teered to  serve  as  the  captain's  aide-de-camp,  to  carry 
messages  for  him  to  any  part  of  the  ship,  or  to  assist 
the  surgeons  in  the  cockpit. 

"You  would  do  good  service  on  deck,  and  I 
respect  your  feeling  in  offering  to  be  there,"  he  an- 
swered ;  "  but  you  are  a  noncombatant.  You  have 
nothing  to  gain  by  exposing  your  life.  You  will 
therefore  oblige  me  by  performing  the  far  more 
painful  task  of  assisting  the  surgeons." 

I  bowed  with  a  feeling  of  disappointment  at  my 
heart,  which  .1  probably  exhibited. 

He  smiled  and  said,  "  It  is  possible,  after  all,  that 
there  may  be  very  little  employment  for  your 
talents." 

There  was  a  shout  on  the  upper  deck,  taken 
speedily  up  by  the  men  on  the  main  deck.  The  enemy 


Attacked  by  the  French  Fleet.  167 

were  seen  bearing  down  on  us.  On  they  came,  nearer 
and  nearer.  Where  we  lay  it  had  fallen  a  perfect  calm, 
and  our  sails  kept  flapping  against  the  masts.  Still 
the  breeze  favoured  them.  I  felt  very  queer,  I  confess. 
I  had  no  intention  of  going  below  till  I  was  wanted, 
and  it  did  not  occur  to  me  that  I  might  be  turned  into 
a  patient  myself.  The  delight  of  the  sailors  at  seeing 
the  French  thus  boldly  approaching  was  excessive,  nor 
did  they  fail  to  praise  them  for  their  courage. 

"  Bravo !  Johnny  Crapaud.  That's  more  than  I 
thought  of  you.  Come  along  !  Don't  leave  us  again. 
We  won't  hurt  ye  more  than  we  can  help.  You  are 
brave  fellows,  that  you  are  ;  we  always  thought  so. 
Now  you  show  it.  Bear  a  hand,  though." 

I  heard  such  and  similar  expressions  from  most  of 
the  men  as  I  passed  along  the  decks.  Suddenly  there 
was  a  gloom  from  one  end  of  the  ship  to  the  other. 
The  breeze  which  had  been  bringing  the  Frenchmen 
along  suddenly  dropped.  It  had  served,  them,  how- 
ever, well  enough  to  bring  them  pretty  close  up  to  us. 

"Now,"  I  thought  to  myself,  "I  shall  see  what  a 
regular  stand-up  sea  fight  is  like." 

Still  I  could  not  help  feeling  all  the  time  that  my 
vocation  was  one  of  peace,  and  that  I  had  no  business 
to  be  where  I  was.  That  is  not  a  pleasant  sensation. 
The  great  thing  for  a  man  to  feel  in  time  of  danger  is 
that  he  is  at  his  post  and  doing  his  duty.  As  I  was 
in  for  it,  I  determined  to  do  my  best  to  be  of  use,  and 
to  trust  to  the  God  of  mercy  for  protection.  The 
enemy  soon  showed  us  that  they  had  no  intention  of 


1 68  James  Braithwaite. 

being  idle.  A  shot  came  whistling  over  our  heads, 
and  fell  a  considerable  distance  on  the  other  side 
of  us.  This  showed  them  .that  we  were  within  gun- 
shot range  of  each  other,  and  immediately  they  opened 
fire  in  earnest.  Some  of  the  shot  flew  over  our  heads, 
others  on  one  side  or  the  other,  but  hitherto  none  had 
struck  us.  I  had  a  hope  that,  after  all,  there  would 
be  no  bloodshed.  We  meantime  had  commenced  fir- 
ing, but  either  the  Frenchmen's  powder  was  better  or 
their  guns  longer,  for  our  shot  mostly  appeared  to  fall 
short,  greatly  to  the  vexation  of  our  crew.  The  enemy 
also  having  had  the  last  of  the  wind,  while  we  were 
becalmed,  were  able  to  take  up  a  better  position  than 
we  had,  and  continued  warmly  engaging  us,  we  often 
being  scarcely  able  to  return  a  shot. 

As  I  had  nothing  to  do  below,  I  remained  on  deck. 
More  than  once,  however,  I  could  not  help  ducking  my 
head  as  a  shot  whistled  above  it.  Possibly  it  might 
have  been  too  high  to  have  struck  me.  However,  I 
soon  got  accustomed  to  that,  and  as  no  one  had  as  yet 
been  hurt,  I  began  to  fancy  that  after  all  a  sea-fight 
was  not  so  terrible  an  affair  as  I  had  supposed,  and 
that  possibly  we  and  the  Frenchmen  might  part 
without  doing  much  harm  to  each  other.  I  had  been 
standing  near  a  fine  young  fellow,  Jem  Martin  by 
name,  captain  of  a  gun,  who  had  for  some  time  past 
been  cutting,  with  more  than  ordinary  humour, 
numbers  of  jokes  on  the  enemy.  I  was  struck  by  his 
bold  attitude  and  thoroughly  sailor-like  look.  His 
bright  blue  eye  beamed  with  life  and  animation.  I 


Attacked  by  the  French  Fleet.  169 

had  turned  my  head  away  from  him  when  a  shot 
whistled  by,  and  I  heard  a  piercing  shriek,  such  as 
a  strong  man  utters  but  once,  wrung  from  his  bosom 
by  mortal  agony.  I  looked  round,  and  on  the  deck 
lay  the  shattered  body  of  a  human  being.  There  were 
a  few  spasmodic  movements  of  the  limbs,  and  all  that 
remained  of  Jem  Martin  was  the  mangled  corpse  at 
my  feet.  I  shuddered,  for  I  could  not  help  feeling 
that  such  as  he  was  I  might  now  have  been. 

The  event  seemed  to  affect  his  shipmates  but  little  ; 
another  seaman  took  his  place,  and  the  gun  was  loaded, 
run  out,  and  fired.  The  fact  was  that  they  had  no 
time  just  then  for  thought  or  the  indulgence  of  feeling. 
The  enemy's  shot  now  came  thicker  and  thicker ; 
many  went  through  the  sails,  others  wounded  the 
masts  and  spars  and  cut  away  the  rigging,  and  several 
more  of  our  men  were  hit.  As  soon  as  they  were 
carried  below,  I  followed,  to  assist  the  surgeon  in 
attending  to  their  wounds.  I  had  lon»  before  this 

o  o 

forgotten  all  about  the  danger  to  which  I  was  myself 
exposed,  but  I  could  not  forget  that  I  had  a  young 
brother  on  board  who  might  any  moment  be  numbered 
among  the  killed  or  wounded.  It  seemed  to  me,  in- 
deed, that  we  were  getting  so  much  the  worst  of  it, 
that  I  began  to  dread  that  the  flag  of  England  might 
have  to  strike  to  that  of  France.  The  idea  was  not  a 
pleasant  one  ;  it  was  not,  however,  shared  in  by  others 
on  board. 

After  we  had  received  a  pretty  severe  battering  for 
the  space  of  two  hours,  the  breeze  got  up,  and  the 


i  jo  James  Braithwaite. 

Frenchmen  hauled  off  to  repair  damages.  On  seeing 
this  the  rage  of  our  men  became  very  great,  and  they 
cried  out  to  the  officers  that  they  might  be  allowed  to 
go  after  them.  As  the  enemy  were  to  windward  this 
was  not  easily  to  be  done,  and  we  had  to  wait  patiently 
in  the  hope  that  the  enemy  would  choose  to  renew 
the  fight,  while  in  the  meantime  our  top-men  were 
knotting  and  splicing  rigging,  and  the  carpenter's 
crew  were  strengthening  the  wounded  yards  and 
stopping  shot-holes.  At  length  the  breeze  reached  us, 
and  as  it  filled  our  sails  the  crew  cheered  in  anticipa- 
tion of  being  able  soon  to  get  to-  closer  quarters  with 
the  enemy.  After  making  numerous  tacks,  two  of  our 
squadron  got  up  to  two  of  the  French  ships,  which 
seemed  in  no  way  disposed  to  refuse  battle.  While 
our  gallant  commodore  closed  with  the  Renommd  we 
engaged  the  Clorinde.  The  fight  soon  gave  work  for 
our  surgeons,  and  I  went  below,  as  I  had  undertaken 
to  do,  to  help  them.  As  I  left  the  deck  I  cast  a  glance 
at  my  young  brother,  who  had  charge  of  a  division  of 
the  guns,  and  was- standing  on  the  deck  cheering  on 
the  men,  full  of  life  and  animation.  The  shots  were 
thickly  flying  about  his  head  ;  any  moment  one 
might  lay  him  low.  I  could  but  offer  up  a  prayer 
for  his  safety. 

The  surgeon  and"  his  mates  were  already  at  work. 
I  hung  up  my  coat  and  tucked  up  my  sleeves,  prepared 
to  assist  them.  I  will  not  describe  the  scene  of  suffer- 
ing I  witnessed.  Most  of  the  poor  fellows  bore  their 
agony  with  wonderful  fortitude.  Two  officers  had 


Attacked  by  the  French  Fleet,  171 

been  brought  below  wounded.  I  kept  looking  up 
anxiously  every  time  I  saw  the  feet  of  men  descending 
the  ladder,  dreading  that  they  might  be  bringing 
down  my  young  brother.  Still  I  kept  praying  for  his 
safety  while  I  followed  the  surgeons'  directions.  A 
young  seaman  had  been  brought  down  fearfully 
wounded.  I  had  remarked  him  on  several  occasions 
among  the  most  active  and  zealous  of  the  crew.  The 
surgeon  examined  him.  He  did  not  groan — indeed, 
he  did  not  appear  to  suffer  much  pain. 

The  surgeon  shook  his  head.  "  I  can  do  nothing  for 
him,"  he  whispered  to  me.  "  You  may  be  able,  per- 
haps, to  speak  a  word  of  comfort,  and  there  is  nothing 
just  now  for  you  to  do." 

I  was  rather  surprised  at  the  surgeon  saying  even 
thus  much.  Perhaps  the  light  of  the  lantern,  which 
at  that  moment  fell  on  my  countenance,  revealed  my 
thoughts,  for  he  added,  "  I  was  asked  to  look  after  the 
lad,  whose  mother  is  a  widow,  and,  God  help  me !  I 
have  done  little  for  him,  and  now  it  is  too  late." 

The  young  seaman  was  placed  on  a  hammock  opened 
out  on  the  deck  of  the  cockpit.  I  knelt  down  by  his 
side,  and,  after  repeating  such  passages  out  of  the 
Word  of  life  as  occurred  to  me,  I  engaged  in  prayer. 
He  followed  me  in  a  low  voice.  Suddenly  he  was 
silent.  I  looked  toward  him  ;  the  immortal  spirit  had 
taken  its  night  from  his  frail  body.  Still  the  battle 
raged;  more  of  our  poor  fellows  were  brought  down, 
and  I  once  more  was  called  on  to  assist  the  surgeons 
in  their  painful  task. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

A    GLORIOUS   VICTORY. 

T~  BEGAN  seriously  to  fear  that  we  were  getting  the 
-*-  worst  of  it.  Shot  after  shot  came  crashing  on 
board,  and  several  more  men  were  brought  down.  I 
expressed  my  fears  aloud  to  the  surgeon.  A  poor 
fellow  already  on  the  table  about  to  undergo  amputa- 
tion overheard  me.  "Don't  think  of  that,  sir,"  he 
exclaimed ;  "  they  are  tough  ones,  those  mounseers, 
but  we'll  go  down  with  our  colours  flying  sooner 
than  strike  them." 

At  that  instant  our  ears  were  saluted  by  loud  cheers, 
which  burst  from  the  crew  on  deck.  Still  the  firing 
was  kept  up,  and  it  was  evident  that  our  ship  con- 
tinued in  action.  At  last,  another  wounded  man  being 
brought  down,  we  heard  that  the  Renomme,  the 
French  commodore's  frigate,  had  struck. 

In  a  few  minutes  another  cheer  was  heard,  the  firing 
ceased,  and  we  had  the  satisfaction  of  finding  that  the 
Clorinde  had  also  struck  her  colours  to  us.  My  heart 
felt  intense  relief  when  I  found  that  the  action  was 
over,  and  that  my  young  brother  had  escaped  without 
a  wound.  Then  I  recollected  that  those  who  had  been 
killed  had  not  been  brought  below.  I  wondered  that 


A  Glorious   Victory.  173 

he  had  not  come  below  to  relieve  my  anxiety.  Those 
of  whom  I  inquired  could  not  tell  me  what  officers  had 
been  killed.  The  instant,  therefore,  I  could  leave  the 
poor  suffering  fellows  I  had  undertaken  to  assist,  I 
hurried  on  deck.  When  I  went  below  the  frigate  had 
presented  a  trim  and  orderly  appearance.  Now  her 
sails  were  torn  and  full  of  shot-holes,  her  running 
rigging  hung  in  loose  festoons,  with  blocks  swaying 
here  and  there,  her  bulwarks  were  shattered,  her 
lately  clean  deck  ploughed  up  with  round  shot  covered 
with  blood  and  gore,  and  blackened  by  powder.  The 
thickening  shades  of  evening  threw  a  peculiar  gloom 
over  the  whole -scene.  I  looked  anxiously  round  for 
William.  I  could  not  see  him.  My  heart  sank  within 
me.  Could  he  be  among  the  slain  ?  A  midshipman 
hurried  past  me. 

"  Where  is  Braithwaite,  my  brother  ?  "  I  asked,  in 
a  trembling  voice. 

"  There ;  don't  you  see  him  on  the  forecastle  ?  " 

I  looked  in  the  direction  to  which  he  pointed.  My 
heart  bounded  up  again  as  I  saw  him  directing  the 
men  engaged  in  bending  a  fresh  foresail,  which  had 
before  concealed  him  from  my  sight.  My  voice  trem- 
bled with  emotion  as  I  ran  forward,  and,  shaking  him 
by  the  hand,  congratulated  him  on  our  victory  and 
his  safety.  He  seemed  scarcely  to  understand  my 
agitation. 

"  Yes,  I  am  thankful  to  say  we  have  thrashed  the 
enemy,  and  I  wish  there  were  a  few  more  to  treat  in 
the  same  way.  There  is  one  fellow  making  off,  and  I 


174  James  Braithwaite. 

am  afraid  the  Astrea  will  not  be  able  to  work  up  to 
bring  her  to  action." 

I  looked  out  as  he  spoke.  One  of  our  frigates,  to 
which  he  pointed,  was  a  long  way  to  leeward,  while  a 
French  frigate  was  standing  under  all  sail  to  the  north- 
west. Our  two  antagonists  appeared  fearfully  shat- 
tered, both  the  French  commodore's  ship  and  the 
Clorinde,  which  was  even  in  a  worse  condition  than 
we  were.  All  our  boats  had  been  so  injured  by  shot 
that  we  were  unable  to  send  one  to  take  possession  of 
our  prize,  and  as  the  night  was  now  rapidly  coming  on} 
we  could  not  hope  to  do  much  to  repair  damages  till 
the  morning.  As  long,  however,  as-  the  men  could 
work,  the  carpenter's  crew  continued  putting  the  ship 
to  rights.  The  rest  of  the  already  overworked  crew 
were  then  piped  below,  that  they  might  be  able  to* 
renew  their  labours  on  the  morrow.  I  had  plenty  to 
do  in  assisting  the  surgeons  in  attending  on  the 
wounded,  till  at  last,  well  wearied  out,  I  turned  into 
my  hammock,  thankful  that  my  dear  brother  and  I 
had  escaped  the  perils  of  the  fight,  and  sincerely  hoping 
that,  as  it  was  my  first  battle,  so  it  might  be  the  last 
in  which  I  should  be  engaged.  Before  going  below  I 
took  a  look  towards  our  prize,  whose  light  I  saw 
burning  brightly  at  no  great  distance  from  us.  I  had 
now  time  to  think  of  my  own  affairs,  and  of  course  was 
not  a  little  anxious  about  the  fate  of  the  Barbara,  for 
it  was  too  probable  that  she  had  fallen  into  the  hands 
of  the  Frenchmen.  If  so,  they  would  probably  have 
sent  her  to  France,  as  she  was  well  provisioned  for  a 


A   Glorious   Victory.  175 

long  voyage,  or  to  one  of  their  settlements,  where  she 
could  be  disposed  of  to  advantage.  My  sleep  was 
sadly  disturbed  with  these  thoughts  and  with  the 
scenes  of  pain  and  suffering  I  had  witnessed.  I  awoke 
soon  after  it  was  light,  and  dressing  quickly  went  on 
deck.  It  was  to  find  everybody  there  in  a  state  of  no 
small  anger  and  vexation. 

"  She  is  off,  gone  clean  out  of  sight,"  I  heard  people 
saying. 

I  inquired  what  was  the  matter. 
"  Why,  it  is  enough  to  vex  a  man,  Mr.  Braithwaite," 
observed  the  first  lieutenant.  "  As  we  could  not  send 
on  board  last  night  to  take  possession  of  our  prize, 
she  has  managed  to  slip  away  during  the  darkness. 
She  left  a  light  burning  astern  on  a  cask  to  deceive 
us.  If  we  ever  come  up  with  her  we'll  make  her  pay 
dearly.  The  other  fellow,  too,  has  got  clear  away ; 
however,  we  will  find  him  out,  wherever  he  has  hid 
himself." 

Soon  after  this  the  commodore  signalled  to  us  to 
send  our  boats  to  assist  in  removing  the  prisoners 
from  the  Renomme.  Thanks  to  the  exertions  of  the 
carpenter  and  his  crew,  three  were  already  made 
capable  of  floating.  I  asked  to  take  an  oar,  as  I 
wished  to  go  on  board  the  prize.  No  sooner  did  I 
step  on  board  than  I  regretted  having  come.  Terrible 
was  the  scene  of  slaughter  I  witnessed.  The  frigate 
had  been  crowded  with  troops,  nearly  one-half  of  whom 
had  been  cut  down  by  the  Galatea's  shot,  which  she 
had  poured  into  the  Frenchman's  hull.  The  crew  were 


1 76  James  Braithwaite. 

only  now  beginning  to  throw  the  dead  bodies  of  their 
shipmates  overboard.  The  French  commodore,  a  gal- 
lant officer,  and  many  others,  were  killed.  But  the 
wounded  nearly  doubled  the  killed,  and  they  chiefly  ex- 
cited our  sympathy.  Their  own  surgeons  were  already 
almost  worn  out  with  attending  to  them,  and  of 
course  we  could  not  spare  any  of  ours  to  render  them 
assistance.  The  more  of  the  effects  of  war  I  saw, 
even  on  this  small  scale,  the  more  I  longed  for  the 
time  when  wars  are  to  cease  and  nations  to  live  at 
peace  with  each  other.  It  was  not,  however,  the 
fashion  to  speak  on  that  subject  in  those  days,  nor 
do  the  nations  of  the  world,  alas !  appear  more  in- 
clined now  than  then  to  bring  about  that  happy 
state  of  things ! 

When  taking  some  of  the  prisoners  on  board  the 
Galatea,  I  found  she  had  also  suffered  severely,  though 
not  at  all  in  proportion  to  the  Renommd.  Captain 
Schomberg  ordered  us,  as  soon  as  our  damages  were 
repaired,  to  make  sail  for  the  port  of  Tamatave,  on 
the  east  coast  of  Madagascar,  where  he  suspected  the 
other  French  frigate  had  taken  refuge,  her  captain 
supposing  probably  that  we  should  return  at  once 
with  our  prizes  to  the  Mauritius.  The  Astrea  coming 
up,  her  crew  went  on  board  the  Renomme,  to  put  her 
to  rights,  and  this  being  done,  all  four  frigates  made 
sail  together  for  Tamatave.  It  is  merely  a  reef-formed 
harbour,  and  by  no  means  a  secure  or  good  one.  The 
English  had  sent  a  force  of  about  fifty  men  there  after 
the  reduction  of  the  Mauritius,  and  they  had,  we  un- 


A   Glorious   Victory.  177 

derstood,  built  a  fort,  or  taken  possession  of  an  old 
one.  It  was  a  question  whether  they  had  been  able 
to  hold  it  against  the  French,  or  had  been  compelled 
to  surrender.  As  we  approached  the  coast,  all  our 
glasses  were  in  requisition,  to  ascertain  whether  any 
ships  were  at  anchor  off  the  place.  There  were  two, 
certainly,  one  larger  than  the  other.  The  wind  was 
light,  but  we  at  length  got  in  close  enough  to  see  that 
the  Frenc^  flag  flew  at  their  mastheads,  as  also  over 
the  fort,  and  that  there  were  several  smaller  vessels. 
I  thought  that  there  would  be  more  fighting,  but 
instead  of  proceeding  to  that  extremity,  the  commo- 
dore sent  in  a  boat  with  a  flag  of  truce,  pointing  out 
the  overpowering  force  he  had  under  him,  and  demand- 
ing the  instant  surrender  of  the  ships  and  fort. 

We  anxiousty  watched  for  the  return  of  the  boat, 
for  if  the  demand  were  not  acceded  to  we  should  have, 
it  was  understood,  to  go  in  and  cut  out  the  ships  with 
our  boats.  Many  liked  the  thought  of  such  an  ex- 
ploit, in  spite  of  its  dangerous  character.  It  was  very 
possible  that  the  French  captain  might  hope,  with 
the  support  of  the  fort,  to  be  able  to  beat  off  the 
boats,  and  to  hold  out  until  the  squadron  should  be 
driven  off  by  a  storm.  At  last  the  boat  was  seen  re- 
turning. The  frigate  was  the  one  which  had  escaped 
from  us.  Her  captain  wisely  agreed  to  yield  to  the 
fortune  of  war,  and  to  give  her  up  with  all  her  prizes, 
and  the  fort  into  the  bargain. 

"  And  what  is  the  name  of  the  other  ship  ? "  I 
asked. 

12 


178  James  Braithwaite* 

"  The  Barbara  merchantman,"  answered  the  lieu- 
tenant. "  She  was  on  the  point  of  sailing  with  a 
French  crew  when  we  appeared,  so  that  her  owners 
have  had  a  narrow  chance  of  losing  their  property." 

This  was,  indeed,  satisfactory  news.  I  was,  of 
course,  very  eager  to  go  on  board  and  hear  from 
Captain  Hassall  what  he  intended  doing.  The  ac- 
coun.t  brought  off  as  to  the  state  of  the  English 
garrison  was  melancholy.  The  fort  was  built  in  an 
especially  unhealthy  spot,  with  marshy  undrained 
land  close  round  it.  The  consequence  was,  that  of 
the  fifty  men  who  had  been  sent  there,  when  the 
French  appeared  not  a  dozen  were  alive,  and  that 
sad  remainder  were  scarcely  able  to  lift  their  muskets. 
They  had  therefore  at  once  yielded  to  the  enemy. 
Several  others  had  since  died,  but  the  sickly  season 
being  now  over,  it  was  hoped  that  the  remainder  would 
live  on  till  the  next  year,  when  in  all  probability 
during  the  same  season  they  would  share  the  fate 
of  their  comrades.  I  got  a  passage  in  one  of  the  next 
boats  which  pulled  in.  Captain  Hassall  had  been 
allowed  by  the  French  to  return  to  his  ship,  and  he 
was  taking  a  turn  on  deck  when  I  went  alongside. 
He  looked  at  me  curiously  two  or  three  times  when  I 
stepped  on  deck,  and,  raising  his  hat,  inquired  what  I 
wanted.  Suddenly  he  stopped  when  he  got  close  up 
to  me,  exclaiming,  "  What !  James  Braithwaite,  my 
dear  boy,  is  it  really  you  ?  I  am  delighted  to  see 
you,  for  to  say  the  truth,  I  had  given  you  up  as  lost. 
I  never  supposed  that  cockleshell  of  a  boat  in  which 


A  Glorious   Victory.  179 

you  left  the  ship  would  have  survived  the  hurricane 
which  came  on  directly  afterwards." 

There  was  one  question  above  all  others  I  wished 
to  ask  him,  "  Have  you  written  home  to  tell  my 
friends  of  my  loss  ?  " 

"  No,"  he  answered ;  "  I  have  so  often  found  people 
turn  up  whom  I  thought  had  been  lost,  that  I  am 
very  unwilling  to  send  home  bad  news  till  it  is  ab- 
solutely necessary,  and  as  I  did  not  require  your 
signature,  I  was  able  to  avoid  mentioning  that  you 
were  not  on  board." 

This  answer  greatly  relieved  my  mind,  and  I  was 
in  a  short  time  able  to  talk  over  our  arrangements 
for  the  future.  The  capture  of  the  Barbara  would, 
of  course,  be  a  heavy  expense  to  the  owners ;  but  if 
the  voyage  should  prove  as  successful  as  we  still 
hoped  it  would,  a  handsome  profit  might  yet  be 
realised.  To  that  object  we  had  now  to  bend  all 
our  energies.  We  were  therefore  anxious  as  soon  as 
we  could  to  proceed  on  our  voyage.  I  had  heard 
from  the  captain  of  the  Phoebe  that  an  expedition 
was  fitting  out  in  India  for  the  capture  of  Batavia, 
the  chief  town  in  Java,  of  which  the  French  now 
held  possession ;  and  we  had  great  hopes,  if  we  could 
reach  it  soon  after  the  English  had  gained  the  place, 
which  of  course  we  expected  they  would  do,  that  we 
should  sell  a  large  portion  of  our  cargo  to  great  ad- 
vantage. Before  sailing,  however,  we  determined  to 
see  what  trade  could  be  carried  on  with  the  natives. 
Fortunately,  the  French  had  not  touched  our  cargo 


180  James  Braithwaite. 

for  that  purpose.  Though  they  had  made  frequent 
attempts  to  form  settlements  in  Madagascar,  they  had 
never  succeeded  in  gaining  the  confidence  and  good- 
will of  the  natives.  Had  the  plans  of  the  Count 
Benyowsky  been  carried  out  when  he  offered  his 
services  to  France,  they  might  possibly  have  obtained 
a  powerful  influence  in  the  affairs  of  the  country,  if 
not  entire  possession  of  it.  His  plans  were,  however, 
completely  defeated  by  the  governor  of  the  Mauritius, 
who,  looking  on  Madagascar  as  a  dependency  of  that 
island,  was  jealous  of  his — the  Count's — proceedings, 
and  finally  drove  him  to  make  common  cause  with 
the  natives  against  the  French  Government.  I  heard 
some  details  of  the  life  of  that  extraordinary  adven- 
turer. The  Count  Benyowsky  was  a  Polish  nobleman, 
who  for  some  political  reason  was  banished  by  the 
Russian  Government  to  one  of  its  settlements  in  the 
extreme  eastern  part  of  Siberia,  whence  it  seemed 
impossible  for  him  ever  to  find  his  way  back  to 
Europe.  The  governor  of  the  town  in  which  the 
Count  was  compelled  to  reside  had  a  daughter,  young 
and  lovely,  who  had  conceived  a  warm  affection  for 
him,  which  appears  to  have  been  fully  returned. 
Through  the  means  of  this  young  lady  he  was  able 
to  gain  information  as  to  everything  which  was  taking 
place.  He  heard,  among  other  things,  that  two  large 
Russian  ships  were  expected  at  the  neighbouring 
port.  He  had  long  been  looking  out  for  the  means 
of  making  his  escape  from  Siberia. 

Here   was   an   opportunity.     None   but  a  man  of 


A   Glorious   Victory.  181 

great  boldness  and  energy  would,  however,  have  con- 
sidered it  one.  He  was  a  prisoner  in  a  fortified  town ; 
it  contained  a  considerable  number  of  his  countrymen, 
but  they  were  prisoners  strictly  watched.  Still  he 
was  determined  to  make  the  attempt.  He  set  to 
work  and  gained  over  a  hundred  men  to  assist  in 
his  dangerous  undertaking.  By  some  means  they 
were  able  to  provide  themselves  with  arms.  The 
governor's  fair  daughter  undertook  to  obtain  the  keys 
of  the  fortress,  provided  her  father's  life  was  spared. 
The  adventurers  found  it  impossible  to  make  their 
escape  without  first  mastering  the  garrison.  The 
conspirators  were  mustered,  and  were  ready  for  the 
enterprise.  The  young  lady  brought  her  lover  the 
keys.  Her  last  words  were,  "Do  not  injure  my 
father." 

"  Of  course  not,  if  he  makes  no  resistance,"  was 
the  Count's  answer. 

The  gates  were  opened ;  the  conspirators  rushed  in. 
The  old  governor  was,  however,  not  a  man  to  yield 
without  a  struggle.  Putting  himself  at  the  head  of 
some  of  his  men,  he  endeavoured  to  keep  back  the 
assailants.  Again  and  again  he  charged  them,  calling 
on  the  troops  to  rally  round  him.  It  was  evident  to 
the  Count  and  his  companions  that  if  he  were  allowed 
to  live  their  undertaking  would  fail.  He  therefore, 
pressed  on  by  numbers,  was  killed,  with  all  who  stood 
by  him. 

The  adventurers,  now  putting  all  who  opposed  them 
to  the  sword,  became  complete  masters  of  the  place, 


1 82  James  Braithwaite. 

and  without  difficulty  obtained  possession  also  of  the 
two  ships  which  had  just  arrived.  A  sufficient  number 
of  officers  and  seamen  were  found  to  navigate  the 
ships,  and,  having  provisioned  them  for  a  long  voyage, 
the  Count,  taking  the  daughter  of  the  governor  with 
him,  went  on  board  them,  with  a  hundred  compan- 
ions, and  made  sail  to  the  southward.  The  Count 
had  taken  precautions  against  pursuit ;  indeed,  there 
were  probably  no  Russian  men-of-war  in  those  waters 
at  the  time,  and  thus  he  made  good  his  escape.  He 
touched  at  a  variety  of  places.  He  reached  Canton 
in  safety.  Here  he  wisely  sold  his  ships,  as,  had  he 
fallen  in  with  any  Russian  men-of-war,  his  destruc- 
tion would  have  been  certain.  At  Canton  he  and  his 
companions  embarked  on  board  two  French  vessels, 
in  which  they  proceeded  to  the  Isle  of  France.  Here 
he  announced  his  intention  of  forming  a  colony  in 
Madagascar,  or  perhaps  of  conquering  the  country  for 
France. 

His  plans,  as  I  have  said,  excited  the  jealousy  of 
the  governor  of  the  Mauritius,  and  of  other  people  of 
authority  in  that  island,  who  determined  to  oppose 
him.  Notwithstanding,  he  proceeded  to  France, 
where  he  so  completely  gained  the  good  opinion  of 
the  French  minister  that  he  was  appointed  to  take 
command  of  an  expedition  to  found  the  proposed 
settlement,  with  the  title  of  governor-general.  He 
had  married  the  daughter  of  the  Russian  governor, 
and  she  accompanied  him  in  all  his  travels,  but  what 
was  her  ultimate  fate  I  do  not  remember  having  heard. 


A  Glorious   Victory.  183 

After  returning  to  the  Isle  of  France,  where  the 
governor  still  kept  up  his  hostility,  and  opposed  him 
by  every  means  in  his  power,  he  set  sail  with  about 
three  hundred  men  for  Madagascar.  He  landed  at 
Antongil  Bay,  where  he  was  well  received  by  the 
chiefs,  but  he  at  first  was  subject  to  a  good  deal  of 
opposition  from  the  natives  generally.  He  did  his 
best  to  conciliate  them,  but  as  he  had  often  to  employ 
force,  and  to  keep  up  a  strict  military  rule  at  the 
same  time,  it  must  have  been  difficult  to  persuade 
them  that  his  intentions  were  pacific  and  philanthro- 
pic. He  seems  to  have  met  with  heroic  courage  all 
the  innumerable  difficulties  by  which  he  was  beset. 
He  lost  many  of  his  officers  and  men  by  sickness, 
as  the  position  where  he  attempted  to  found  his  first 
settlement,  from  being  surrounded  by  marshes,  was 
very  unhealthy.  Among  othei's,  his  only  boy  lost 
his  life  by  fever.  He  was  left  without  the  necessary 
supplies  he  expected  from  the  Isle  of  France,  the 
governor  purposely  neglecting  to  send  them.  The 
natives  also  were  incited  by  emissaries  of  the  governor 
to  oppose  him,  while,  of  the  officers  sent  to  him,  some 
were  incapable,  and  others  came  with  the  express 
purpose  of  betraying  him.  Notwithstanding  all  these 
difficulties,  by  the  middle  of  1775  the  settlers  had 
built  a  fort  in  a  more  healthy  situation,  which  was 
called  Fort  Louis,  had  constructed  all  the  necessary 
buildings  for  the  town  of  Louisbourg,  and  had  formed 
a  road  twenty-one  miles  in  length  and  twenty-four 
feet  in  breadth.  The  Count  had  also  done  something 


184  James  Braithwaite. 

towards  civilising  the  people,  and  among  other  im- 
portant measures  had  persuaded  the  women  to  give 
up  their  practice  of  infanticide,  which  had  been  ter- 
ribly prevalent.  They,  however,  refused  to  ratify  the 
engagement  without  the  presence  of  the  Count's  wife, 
who  was  residing  at  the  Isle  of  France.  She  was 
accordingly  sent  for,  and  on  her  arrival  the  women 
of  the  different  provinces,  assembling  before  her,  bound 
themselves  by  an  oath  never  to  sacrifice  any  of  their 
children.  They  agreed  that  any  who  should  break 
this  oath  should  be  made  slaves,  while  they  were  to 
send  all  deformed  children  to  an  institution  which 
had  been  founded  by  the  Count  in  the  settlement 
for  that  purpose. 

He  had  by  this  time  formed  alliances  with  many 
of  the  surrounding  chiefs,  who  ever  afterwards  re- 
mained faithful  to  him.  In  other  parts  of  the  island 
combinations  were  formed  against  him.  He  accord- 
ingly mustered  his  forces,  and  marching  against  his 
enemies,  who  had  brought  forty  thousand  men  into 
the  field,  put  them  to  flight.  Those  who  fell  into 
his  hands  he  treated  with  so  much  leniency  and 
kindness  that  he  ultimately  attached  them  to  his 
cause.  A  curious  superstition  of  the  natives  was  the 
cause  of  his  being  at  length  raised  to  the  dignity 
of  the  principal  chief  of  the  island.  It  appears  that 
the  hereditary  successor  to  the  title  was  missing, 
when  some  of  the  natives  took  it  into  their  heads 
that  the  Count  Benyowsky  was  the  lost  heir.  The 
idea  gained  ground  at  the  very  time  that  the  affairs 


A   Glorious   Victory.  185 

of  the  Count  were  in  a  very  precarious  condition. 
His  own  health  was  failing,  the  more  faithful  among 
his  European  officers  were  dead,  his  enemies  in  the 
Mauritius  had  succeeded  in  prejudicing  the  minds  of 
the  members  of  the  French  Government  against  hirn, 
and  two,  if  not  more,  vessels  bringing  out  supplies  had 
been  lost.  Under  these  circumstances  it  is  not  sur- 
prising that  he  should  have  accepted  the  proffered 
dignity,  which  shortly  led  to  his  being  recognised  as 
the  principal  chief  and  supreme  ruler  of  the  whole 
island. 

Commissioners  had  been  sent  out  from  France  to 
investigate  the  affairs  of  the  settlement.  While  they 
were  there  he  took  the  opportunity  of  giving  up  the 
command  of  the  setttlement  to  another  officer,  and 
entirely  dissolved  his  connection  with  it  and  with 
France,  though  he  at  the  same  time,  with  the  other 
chiefs,  expressed  his  desire  to  live  on  friendly  terms 
with  the  inhabitants,  and  to  support  the  settlement 
to  the  best  of  his  ability.  He  employed  some  time 
after  this  in  consolidating  his  power  and  in  improv- 
ing the  condition  of  the  people.  He  also  drew  up  a 
constitution,  which  for  those  days  was  of  the  most 
liberal  character.  Having  done  all  he  could  to  civilise 
the  people,  he  resolved  to  go  to  Europe  to  establish 
mercantile  relations  with  different  countries  for  the  im- 
provement of  the  commerce  of  his  adopted  country. 

In  France,  though  he  had  some  friends  who  wel- 
comed him  cordially,  he  was  coldly  received  by  those 
in  power,  though  his  course  was  supported  by  the 


1 86  James  Braithwaite. 

celebrated  Dr.  Franklin,  who  was  at  that  time  in 
Paris.  At  length,  quitting  the  country,  he  went  to 
England;  but  though  he  offered  to  place  the  country 
under  the  protection  of  the  English  Government,  no 
encouragement  was  afforded  him.  All  his  hopes  in 
Europe  having  failed,  he  set  sail  for  the  United  States, 
in  the  vessel  he  chartered  with  a  cargo  of  goods 
suited  to  the  markets  of  Madagascar.  After  remain- 
ing for  some  time  in  the  United  States  and  obtaining 
another  ship  and  cargo,  he  reached  Antongil  Bay  in 
July  1785.  He  was  here  cordially  welcomed  by  the 
chiefs,  but  instead  of  going  into  the  interior  and 
assuming  the  reins  of  government,  he  remained  on  the 
coast  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  trading-posts 
where  his  goods  might  be  disposed  of.  He  had  cap- 
tured one  port  from  the  French,  and  was  engaged  in 
repairing  a  fort  built  by  them,  when  a  body  of  troops 
landing  from  a  French  frigate  attacked  him.  He 
retired  with  some  few  Europeans  and  natives  into 
the  fort,  where  he  attempted  to  defend  himself.  The 
French  advanced,  he  was  shot  through  the  body,  and 
being  ignominiously  dragged  out,  directly  afterwards 
expired.  Poor  Count  Benyowsky  !  I  could  not  help 
feeling  sorrow  when  I  heard  of  his  sad  fate. 

The  climate  of  the  low  lands  near  the  seashore  was, 
from  what  we  heard,  very  unhealthy,  but  in  the  hill 
country  of  the  interior  it  is  as  healthy  as  any  part  of 
the  world.  We  heard  a  good  deal  of  the  English  and 
French  pirates,  who  had  formed,  a  century  before, 
some  flourishing  settlements  on  the  northern  coasts. 


A  Glorious   Victory.  187 

The  name  of  a  bay  we  visited  (Antongil)  was  derived 
from  one  of  the  most  celebrated,  Anthony  Gill. 
Several  other  places  also  obtained  their  names  from 
members  of  the  fraternity  of  freebooters.  While  the 
pirates  continued  their  depredations  on  the  ocean, 
they  in  general  behaved  well  to  the  natives,  but  when 
being  hotly  pressed  by  the  men-of-war  of  the  people 
they  had  been  accustomed  to  rob,  they  entered  upon 
the  most  nefarious  of  all  traffics,  that  of  slaves,  and 
to  obtain  them  instigated  the  people  of  one  tribe  to 
make  war  on  those  of  another.  This  traffic  has  ever 
since  been  carried  on,  greatly  contributing  to  retard 
the  progress  of  civilization. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

ARRIVAL    AT  JAVA. 

~T  WAS  very  sorry  to  have  to  part  from  my  brother 
-*-  William,  and  not  a  little  so  from  that  merriest  of 
merry  midshipmen,  Toby  Trundle. 

"  We  shall  meet  again  one  of  these  days,  Trundle," 
I  said,  as  I  warmly  shook  hands  with  him.  "  I  hope 
it  will  be  in  smooth  water,  too ;  we  have  had  enough 
of  the  rough  together." 

I  did  my  best  to  express  to  the  captain  and  officers 
of  the  Phoebe  my  sense  of  the  kindness  with  which 
they  had  treated  me  from  the  first  moment  I  had 
stepped  on  board  their  frigate  to  the  last.  We  all  sailed 
together,  the  men-of-war  and  their  prize,  to  proceed 
to  the  Mauritius,  then  to  refit  and  get  ready  for  the 
expedition  to  Java.  We  also  were  bound  for  Java, 
but  intended  first  to  visit  Antongil  Bay  for  the  purpose 
of  trading  with  the  natives.  I  was  pleased  to  find 
myself  among  my  old  shipmates  again.  They  had  had 
no  sickness  on  board,  and  not  a  man  had  been  lost. 
The  officers  were  the  same  in  character,  while  their 
individual  peculiarities  seemed  to  stand  out  more 
prominently  than  before. 

We  found  the  natives  at  Antongil  Bay  very  honour- 


Arrival  at  Java.  189 

able  in  their  dealings.  Many  of  the  chiefs  spoke  French 
perfectly  well,  and  looked  like  Frenchmen.  They 
were,  we  found,  indeed,  descendants  of  some  of  the 
Count  Benyowsky's  followers,  who  had  married  native 
women.  The  children  of  such  marriages  were  generally 
highly  esteemed  by  the  natives,  who  had  raised  them 
to  the  rank  of  chiefs.  From  what  I  saw  of  all  classes 
of  the  natives  of  Madagascar,  but  especially  of  the 
upper  ranks,  I  should  say  that  they  were  capable  of 
a  high  state  of  civilization,  and  I  see  no  reason  why 
they  should  not  some  day  take  their  place  among  the 
civilized  nations  of  the  east.  When  that  time  will 
come  it  is  impossible  to  say.  Neither  adventurers, 
like  the  brave  and  talented  Benyowsky,  nor  French 
settlements,  will  bring  it  about.  One  thing,  indeed, 
only  can  produce  it — that  is,  the  spread  and  the  firm 
establishment  of  true  Christianity  among  the  people. 

Some  days  after  our  departure  we  had  a  distant 
view  of  the  island  of  Rodriguez.  In  about  a  fortnight 
afterwards  we  were  glad  to  put  on  warm  clothing  in- 
stead of  the  light  dress  suitable  to  the  tropics ;  yet  we 
were  only  in  the  same  parallel  of  latitude  as  Madeira. 
It  showed  us  how  much  keener  is  the  air  of  the  southern 
hemisphere  than  that  of  the  northern.  We  soon  after 
fell  in  with  the  monsoon,  or  trade  wind,  which  sent 
us  flying  along  at  a  good  rate;  till  early  in  August, 
on  a  bright  morning,  the  look-out  at  the  masthead 
shouted  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  "  Land  ho !  Land 
ahead  !"  It  was  the  north-west  cape  of  New  Holland, 
or  Australia,  a  region  then,  as  even  to  the  present  day, 


I  go  James  Braithwaite. 

almost  a  terra  incognita  to  Europeans.  As  we  neared 
it,  we  curiously  looked  out  with  our  glasses  for  some 
signs  of  the  habitations  of  men,  but  nothing  could  be 
seen  to  lead  us  to  suppose  that  human  beings  were  to 
be  found  there.  The  shore  was  low,  sandy,  and  deso- 
late, without  the  least  intermixture  of  trees  or  verdure. 
A  chain  of  rocks,  over  which  the  sea  broke  furiously, 
lined  the  coast.  We  continued  in  sight  of  this  most 
inhospitable-looking  land  till  the  next  morning.  I 
could  not  help  thinking  of  the  vast  extent  of  country 
which  intervened  between  the  shore  at  which  we  were 
gazing  and  the  British  settlement  at  Port  Jackson,  of 
which  we  had  lately  heard  such  flattering  accounts. 
Was  it  a  region  flowing  with  milk  and  honey  ?  one  of 
lakes  and  streams,  or  of  lofty  mountains  ?  did  it  contain 
one  vast  inland  sea,  or  was  it  a  sandy  desert  of  burning 
sands,  impassable  for  man  ? 

This  was  a  problem  some  of  my  emigrant  friends 
had  been  discussing,  and  which  I  longed  to  see  solved. 
After  losing  sight  of  the  coast  of  New  Holland,  we 
had  to  keep  a  bright  look-out,  as  we  were  in  the  sup- 
posed neighbourhood  of  certain  islands  which  some 
navigators,  it  was  reported,  had  seen,  but  no  land  ap- 
peared. One  clear  night  we  found  ourselves  suddenly, 
it  seemed,  floating  in  an  ocean  of  milk,  or  more  properly, 
perhaps,  a  thick  solution  of  chalk  in  water.  The  sur- 
face was  quite  unruffled,  nor  was  there  the  slightest 
mixture  of  that  phosphoric  appearance  often  seen  on  a 
dark  night  when  the  sea  is  agitated.  The  air  was  still, 
though  it  was  not  quite  a  calm,  and  the  sky  was  per- 


Arrival  at  Java.  igi 

fectly  clear.  It  took  us  some  hours  to  slip  through  it. 
We  drew  up  some  in  buckets,  and  found  it  to  contain 
a  small,  scarcely  perceptible,  portion  of  a  fine  filamen- 
tuous  substance,  quite  transparent,  such  as  I  have 
occasionally  seen  where  seaweed  is  abundant.  Whether 
this  was  the  cause  of  the  milky  appearance  of  the  sea 
or  not  we  could  not  determine.  We  were  now  sailing 
almost  due  north,  for  the  Straits  of  Bally,  as  the  pas- 
sage is  called  between  that  small  island  and  the  east 
end  of  the  magnificent  island  of  Java.  About  the 
middle  of  August,  early  in  the  morning,  again  land 
was  seen  from  the  masthead,  and  in  a  few  hours  we 
entered  the  Straits  I  have  just  mentioned.  We  could 
see  the  shores  on  both  sides,  that  of  Bally  somewhat 
abrupt,  while  the  Java  shore,  agreeably  diversified  by 
clumps  of  cocoa-nut  trees  and  hills  clothed  with  ver- 
dure, looked  green  and  smiling,  contrasting  agreeably 
with  that  of  New  Holland,  which  we  had  so  lately  left. 
A  large  number  of  small  boats  or  canoes  were  moving 
about  in  all  directions,  those  under  sail  going  at  great 
speed.  They  were  painted  white,  had  one  sail,  and 
were  fitted  with  outriggers.  We  had  to  keep  a  bright 
look-out  lest  we  should  run  suddenly  into  the  jaws 
of  any  French  or  Dutch  man-of-war,  which,  escaping 
from  our  cruisers,  might  be  pleased  to  snap  up  a  richly- 
.  laden  merchantman  like  the  Barbara.  We  could  not 
tell  at  the  time  whether  the  proposed  expedition  had 
arrived,  or,  if  it  had,  whether  it  had  been  successful. 

As  we  were  coasting  along,  a  hill  appeared  in  sight, 
early  in  the  morning,  the  summit  thickly  surrounded 


1 92  James  Braithwaite 

by  clouds.  As  this  nightcap  of  vapours  cleared  away, 
a  remarkable  cone  was  exposed  to  view,  the  base 
covered  with  the  richest  vegetation.  Soon  after  this 
we  got  so  entangled  among  clusters  of  rocky  islands 
and  coral  reefs  that  we  were  very  much  afraid  we 
should  be  unable  to  extricate  ourselves,  and  that  our 
ship  would  get  on  shore.  Though  there  was  not  much 
risk  of  our  losing  our  lives,  the  dread  of  having  our 
ship  and  cargo  destroyed  was  enough  to  make  us 
anxious.  Fortunately  the  wind  fell,  and  by  keeping 
look-outs  at  each  forc-yardarm  and  at  the  masthead, 
we  were  able  to  perceive  the  dangers  with  which  we 
were  surrounded  before  we  ran  on  any  of  them.  At 
length  we  got  into  seemingly  more  clear  water,  but 
there  being  still  several  reefs  and  islands  outside  of  us, 
Captain  Hassall  thought  it  prudent  to  anchor  for  the 
night.  The  shore  off  which  we  lay  was  lined  with 
cocoa-nut  and. other  palrn-trees,  rivulets  were  seen 
flowing  down  the  sides  of  the  hills,  which  were  clothed 
with  spice-bearing  and  other  shrubs,  the  whole  land- 
scape presenting  a  scene  of  great  tropical  beauty. 

"  If  I  ever  had  to  cast  anchor  anywhere  on  shore, 
that's  the  sort  of  country  I  should  choose,  now,"  ob- 
served Benjie  Stubbs,  our  second  officer,  who  had  been 
examining  the  coast  for  some  time  through  his  glass. 

"  I  wouldn't  change  one  half-acre  of  any  part  of  our 
principality  for  a  thousand  of  its  richest  acres,"  said 
David  Gwynne,  our  surgeon,  to  whom  he  spoke. 
"Poets  talk  of  the  spicy  gales  of  these  islands;  in 
most  cases  they  come  laden  with  miasma-bearing 


Arrival  at  Java.  193 

fevers  and  agues  on  their  wings ;  while  if  a  fellow  has 
to  live  on  shore  he  gets  roasted  by  day,  with  a  good 
chance  of  a  sunstroke,  and  he  is  stewed  at  night,  and 
bitten  by  mosquitoes  and  other  winged  and  crawling 
things,  and  wakes  to  find  a  cobra  de  capella  or  green 
snake  gliding  over  his  face." 

"Oh,  a  man  would  soon  get  accustomed  to  those 
trifling  inconveniences,  as  the  natives  must  do ;  and 
money  goes  a  long  way  in  these  regions  for  all  the 
necessaries  of  life,"  answered  Stubbs. 

I  must  confess  that,  lovely  as  I  had  heard  are 
many  parts  of  those  eastern  isles,  I  was  inclined  to 
agree  with  the  surgeon. 

It  was  discovered  this  evening  that  in  consequence 
of  the  heat,  or  from  careless  coopering,  our  water-casks 
had  let  out  their  contents,  and  that  we  had  scarcely 
any  fresh  water  in  the  ship.  At  Batavia  it  was  very 
bad,  and  it  might  be  some  days  before  we  should  get 
there,  or  we  could  not  tell  when,  should  the  ex- 
pedition not  have  succeeded.  It  was  therefore 
necessary  to  get  water  without  delay,  and  as  a  river 
was  marked  on  the  chart  near  to  where  we  lay,  we 
agreed  the  next  morning  to  go  up,  and,  should  we  see 
no  fort,  to  run  in  and  obtain  water  and  any  fresh 
provisions  we  might  require.  Accordingly  we  weighed 
by  sunrise,  and,  standing  in,  ran  along  the  coast  till 
we  arrived  off  the  mouth  of  the  river  we  hoped  to 
find.  Some  native  houses  were  seen,  but  no  fortifica- 
tions and  no  buildings  of  an  European  character  We 
therefore  thought  that  we  should  be  perfectly  safe  in 

is 


1 94  James  Braithwaite. 

going  ashore.  On  dropping  our  anchor,  several  canoes 
came  off  laden  with  turtles,  ducks,  fowls,  cockatoos, 
monkeys,  and  other  small  animals  and  birds ;  besides 
sweet  potatoes,  yams,  and  other  vegetables,  grown  by 
the  natives  for  the  supply  of  the  ships  passing  along 
the  coast.  They  found  plenty  of  customers  among 
our  men,  and  the  ship  was  soon  turned  into  a  per- 
fect menagerie.  We  without  difficulty  made  the  people 
in  the  canoes  understand  that  we  wanted  to  replenish 
our  water-casks,  and  we  understood  them  to  say  that 
they  would  gladly  help  us.  Two  boats  were  therefore 
lowered  and  filled  with  casks ;  Stubbs  took  charge  of 
one  of  them,  and  I  went  in  the  other,  accompanied  by 
little  Jack  Nobs,  intending  to  exchange  a  few  articles 
which  I  took  with  me  suitable  to  the  taste  of  the 
natives  for  some  of  the  productions  of  their  country. 
As  we  pulled  up  the  river  we  saw  the  low  shores  on 
either  side  lined  with  houses  built  on  high  piles,  by 
which  they  were  raised  a  considerable  distance  above 
the  ground,  some,  I  should  think,  fully  twenty  feet. 
The  only  means  of  entering  them  was  by  a  ladder, 
which  we  found  it  was  the  custom  of  the  inhabitants 
to  lift  up  at  night  to  prevent  the  intrusion  of  strangers, 
but  more  especially,  I  should  think,  of  wild  beasts. 
The  chief  object,  however,  of  their  being  built  in  this 
way  is  to  raise  them  above  the  miasma  of  the  marshy 
ground,  which  often  rises  only  two  or  three  feet. 
They  were  all  on  one  floor,  but  had  numerous  parti- 
tions or  rooms.  The  roofs,  which  were  covered  with 
palm  leaves,  projected  some  distance  beyond  the  walls, 


Arrival  at  Java.  195 

so  as  to  form  a  wide  balcony  all  round.  The  ground 
beneath  was  also  in  many  instances  railed  in,  and 
thus  served  for  the  habitation  of  ducks,  poultry,  and 
cattle. 

At  the  landing-place  some  way  up  a  number  of 
natives  were  collected,  who  received  us  in  a  very 
friendly  way.  We  saw  no  Dutchmen  nor  other  Euro- 
peans. As  we  could  not  make  ourselves  understood 
by  the  natives,  we  were  unable  to  ascertain  what  had 
occurred  at  the  other  end  of  the  island.  The  men  in 
the  canoes  had  for  clothing  only  a  cloth  round  their 
waists,  but  the  people  who  now  received  us  were 
habited  in  a  much  more  complete  fashion.  They  wore 
the  sarung,  a  piece  of  coloured  cloth  about  eight  feet 
long  and  four  wide,  part  of  which  was  thrown  over 
the  shoulder  like  a  Highlander's  plaid,  the  rest  bound 
round  the  waist  serving  as  a  kilt.  They  all  had  on 
drawers  secured  by  a  sash,  and  several  wore  a  short 
frock  coat  with  buttons  in  front,  called  a  baju.  All 
had  daggers,  and  several,  who  were  evidently  people 
of  some  consequence,  had  two  in  copper  or  silver 
sheaths.  The  latter  had  their  teeth  blackened,  which 
was  evidently  looked  on  as  a  mark  of  gentility.  They 
also  wore  turbans,  while  the  lower  orders  only  had 
little  caps  on  their  heads.  The  watering-place  was 
some  little  way  up  the  river,  and  while  the  mates 
proceeded  there  with  the  boats,  I  landed  at  the  village 
or  town.  I  had  not  proceeded  far  when  I  was  gi^en 
to  understand  that  a  chief  or  some  person  of  conse- 
quence wished  to  see  me,  for  the  purpose,  I  supposed, 


196  James  Braithwaite. 

of  trading.  His  habitation  was  pointed  out  to  me  on 
the  summit  of  some  high  ground  at  a  distance  from 
the  river.  It  appeared  to  be  far  larger  than  the  houses 
of  the  village.  Without  hesitation  I  set  off,  followed 
by  Jack,  and  accompanied  by  several  of  my  first  ac- 
quaintance, towards  it.  I  now  more  than  ever  re- 
gretted liaving  lost  O'Carroll,  for  understanding  as  he 
did  the  languages  of  the  people  of  the  Archipelago, 
he  would  greatly  have  facilitated  our  proceedings. 

The  house  or  palace  of  the  great  man  was  sur- 
rounded, as  are  all  the  island  habitations  of  every 
degree  which  I  saw  in  Java,  with  gardens.  We 
entered  on  the  north  side  into  a  large  square  court,  on 
either  side  of  which  were  rows  of  Indian  fig-trees, 
with  two  large  fig-trees  nearly  in  the  centre.  Passing 
through  this  we  found  ourselves  in  a  smaller  court, 
surrounded  by  pillars,  and  covered  in  by  a  light  roof. 
Here  most  of  my  companions  remained,  but  I  was 
conducted  up  a  flight  of  steps  to  a  handsome  terrace 
in  front  of  a  building  of  considerable  size,  in  the 
centre  of  which  was  a  spacious  hall,  the  roof  richly 
painted  with  red  and  gold.  This  hall  of  audience 
was  on  the  top  of  the  hill ;  steps  from  it  led  down  to 
other  houses  which  composed  the  dwelling  of  the 
chief  and  his  family. 

As  I  looked  down  from  the  terrace,  I  could  see  the 
tops  of  the  houses  of  the  poorer  class  of  people,  which 
surrounded  the  palace  of  the  chief.  They  were  all 
in  the  midst  of  gardens,  and  had  walls  round  them. 
I  found,  indeed,  that  I  was  in  the  centre  of  a  town,  or 


Arrival  at  Java.  197 

large  village,  though  in  coming  along  I  had  scarcely 
seen  any  habitations,  so  completely  shut  in  were  they 
by  trees  and  shrubs.  I  had  thus  an  example  of  the 
fertility  of  Java,  and  of  the  industry  of  its  inhabitants. 
With  regard  to  the  habitations  of  the  barbarians  whose 
lands  I  visited,  I  must  observe  that,  though  there 
were  exceptions  to  the  rule,  they  were  generally  far 
superior  in  respect  to  the  wants  of  the  occupants  than 
are  the  dwellings  of  a  large  number  of  the  poorer 
classes  in  Scotland,  and  especially  in  Ireland,  and  in 
some  districts  even  in  England.  They  are  in  good 
condition,  clean,  sufficiently  furnished,  and  well  venti- 
lated. Granted  that  the  materials  of  which  they  are 
built  are  cheap,  that  from  the  fertility  of  the  land  a 
man  by  labouring  three  days  in  the  week  can  supply 
all  his  wants  for  the  remaining  four,  and  has  time 
to  repair  his  house  and  furniture,  and  that  he  has 
no  rates  and  taxes  to  pay,  still  I  cannot  help  be- 
lieving that  there  is  something  wrong  somewhere, 
that  God  never  intended  it  to  be  so,  and  that  it  is  a 
matter  it  behoves  us  to  look  to  more  than  we  have 
done.  Though  distance  seeme'd  to  increase  my  love 
for  Old  England,  it  did  not  blind  me  to  her  faults,  and 
I  often  blushed  when  I  found  myself  among  heathen 
savages,  and  saw  the  superiority  of  some  of  their 
ways  to  ours.  These  or  similar  thoughts  occupied  me 
while  I  stood  on  the  terrace  gazing  on  the  fine  pros- 
pect around,  and  waiting  for  the  appearance  of  the 
chief. 

After  some  time  the  chief  appeared  at  the  entrance 


198  James  Braithwaite. 

of  the  hall  of  audience,  with  a  gay  coloured  umbrella 
borne  over  his  head,  a  slave  carrying  the  indispensable 
betel-box  by  his  side,  a  handsome  turban  on  his  head, 
and  his  sash  stuck  full  of  jewel-hilted  daggers  with 
golden  scabbards,  while  all  his  attendants  stood  round 
with  their  bodies  bent  forward  and  their  eyes  cast  to 
the  ground,  as  a  sign  of  reverence.  I  thus  knew  that 
I  was  in  the  presence  of  a  very  important  person. 
I  was  rather  puzzled  to  discover  who  he  took  me  for, 
that  he  treated  me  with  so  much  state.  How  we  were 
to  understand  each  other,  and  I  was  to  ascertain  the 
truth,  I  could  not  tell.  I  think  I  mentioned  that 
I  learned  a  little  Dutch,  which  I  had  practised  occa- 
sionally with  Peter  Kloops,  my  old  cousin's  butler. 

I  tried  the  chief  with  some  complimentary  phrases  in 
that  language,  but  he  shook  his  head  ;  I  then  tried  him 
with  French.  He  shook  his  head  still  more  vehe- 
mently, and,  from  the  signs  he  made,  I  thought  that 
he  was  annoyed  that  I  had  not  brought  an  inter- 
preter with  me.  After  a  time,  however,  finding  that  he 
could  get  nothing  out  of  me,  he  said  something  to  one 
of  his  attendants,  who,  raising  his  hands  with  his  palms 
closed  till  his  thumbs  touched  his  nose  in  rather  a 
curious  fashion,  uttered  a  few  words  in  reply,  and  then 
hurried  oft'  by  the  way  I  had  come.  I  was  after  this 
conducted  into  the  hall,  where  on  a  raised  platform 
the  chief  took  his  seat,  making  signs  to  me  to  sit  near 
him,  his  attendants  having  done  the  same.  Slaves 
then  brought  in  some  basins  of  water,  in  one  of  which 
the  chief  washed  his  hands,  I  following  his  example. 


Arrival  at  Java.  199 

Trays  were  then  brought  in,  with  meat  and  rice  and 
fish,  and  certain  vegetables  cut  up  into  small  frag- 
ments. There  were  no  knives,  or  forks,  or  spoons. 
The  chief  set  an  example,  which  I  was  obliged  to  follow, 
of  dipping  his  fingers  into  the  mess  before  him,  and , 
as  it  were,  clawing  up  a  mouthful  and  transferring  it 
to  his  mouth.  Had  his  hands  not  first  been  washed,  I 
certainly  should  not  have  liked  the  proceeding,  but  as 
I  was  by  this  time  very  hungry,  and  the  dishes  were 
pleasant  tasted  and  well  cooked,  I  did  ample  justice  to 
the  repast. 

The  chief  and  his  attendants  having  eaten  as  much 
as  they  well  could,  my  young  attendant  Jack,  who  sab 
somewhat  behind  me,  having  done  the  same,  water 
was  again  brought  in,  that  everybody  might  wash 
their  hands. 

I  heard  Jack  Nobs  in  a  low  tone  give  rough 
colloquial  expressions  of  his  satisfaction. 

"  They  don't  seem  much  given  to  talking,  though," 
he  added  to  himself.  "  I  wonder  whether  it  is  that 
they  think  we  don't  understand  their  lingo,  or  that 
they  don't  understand  ours;  I'll  just  try  them,  though." 

Whereon  in  a  half  whisper  he  addressed  the  person 
sitting  next  to  him,  who  bowed  and  salaamed  very 
politely  in  return,  but  made  no  reply. 

"  What  I  axes  you,  mounseer,  is,  whether  you  feels 
comfortable  after  your  dinner,"  continued  Jack,  in  a 
loud  whisper.  "  And,  I  say,  will  you  tell  us  who  the 
gentleman  in  the  fine  clothes  is,  for  I  can't  make  out 
nohow  ?  Does  he  know  that  my  master  here  is  a 


2OO  James  Braithwaite. 

great  merchant,  and  that  if  he  wishes  to  do  a  bit  of 
trade,  he  is  the  man  to  do  it  with  him  ? " 

The  same  dumb  show  on  the  part  of  the  Javanese 
went  on  as  before.  Jack's  attempt  at  opening  up  a 
conversation  was  put  a  stop  to  by  the  return  of  the 
servant  with  dishes  containing  a  variety  of  vegetables 
and  fruits,  which  were  as  welcome,  probably,  to  him 
as  to  me.  One  dish  contained  a  sweet  potato  cooked. 
It  must  have  weighed  from  twelve  to  fifteen  pounds. 
I  have  heard  of  one  weighing  thirty  pounds.  The 
natives  appeared  very  fond  of  it.  We  had  peas  and 
artichokes  and  a  dish  of  sago,  the  mode  of  obtaining 
which  I  afterwards  saw,  and  will  describe  presently. 
I  heard  Jack  cry  out  when  he  saw  one  of  the  dishes 
of  fruit.  It  was,  I  found,  the  durian,  a  fruit  of  which 
the  natives  are  very  fond,  and  which  I  got  to  like, 
though  its  peculiarly  offensive  odour  at  first  gave  me  a 
dislike  to  it.  It  is  nearly  of  the  size  of  a  man's  head, 
and  is  of  a  spherical  form.  It  consists  of  five  cells, 
each  containing  from  one  to  four  large  seeds  enveloped 
in  a  rich  white  pulp,  itself  covered  with  a  thin  pellicle, 
which  prevents  the  seed  from  adhering  to  it.  This 
pulp  is  the  edible  portion  o'f  the  fruit.  However,  a 
dish  of  mangostins  was  more  to  my  taste.  It  is  one 
of  the  most  exquisite  of  Indian  fruits.  It  is  mildly 
acid,  and  has  an  extreme  delicacy  of  flavour  without 
being  luscious  or  cloying.  In  external  appearance  it 
resembles  a  ripe  pomegranate,  but  is  smaller  and  more 
completely  globular.  A  rather  tough  rind,  brown 
without,  and  of  a  deep  crimson  within,  encloses  three 


Arrival  at  Java.  201 

or  four  black  seeds  surrounded  by  a  soft,  semi-trans- 
parent, snow-white  pulp,  having  occasionally  a  very 
slight  crimson  plush.  The  pulp  is  eaten.  We  had 
also  the  well-known  Jack-fruit,  a  great  favourite  with 
the  natives  ;  and  the  champadak,  a  much  smaller  fruit, 
of  more  slender  form  and  more  oblong  shape.  It  has  a 
slightly  farinaceous  consistency,  and  has  a  very  delicate 
and  sweet  flavour.  I  remember  several  other  fruits  ; 
indeed,  the  chief  seemed  anxious  to  show  to  me,  a 
stranger,  the  various  productions  of  his  country. 
There  were  mangoes,  shaddocks,  and  pine-apples  in 
profusion,  and  several  other  small  fruits,  some  too 
luscious  for  my  palate,  but  others  having  an  agreeable 
sub-acid  taste. 

We  sat  and  sat  on,  waiting  for  the  return  of  the 
messenger.  I  observed  that  whereas  a  calabash  of 
water  stood  near  the  guests,  from  which  they  drank 
sparingly,  a  jug  was  placed  close  to  the  chief,  and  that 
as  he  continued  to  sip  from  it  his  eyes  began  to  roll 
and  his  head  to  turn  from  side  to  side  in  a  curious 
manner.  Suddenly,  as  if  seized  with  a  generous  im- 
pulse, or  rather  having  overcome  a  selfish  one,  he 
passed  the  jug  with  a  sigh  over  to  me,  and  made  signs 
that  if  I  was  so  inclined  I  was  to  drink  from  it.  I  did 
so  without  hesitation,  but  my  breath  was  almost  taken 
away.  It  was  the  strongest  arrack.  I  could  not 
ascertain  how  the  chief,  who  was  a  Mohammedan, 
could  allow  himself  to  do  what  is  so  contrary  to  the 
law  of  the  prophet.  I  observed  that  his  attendants 
looked  away  when  he  drank,  as  they  did  when  I  put 


202  James  Braithwaite. 

the  cup  to  my  lips ;  so  I  conclude  that  they  knew 
well  enough  that  it  was  not  quite  the  right  thing 
to  do.  All  the  inhabitants  of  Java  are  nominally 
Mohammedans,  but,  in  the  interior  especially,  a 
number  of  gross  and  idolatroas  practices  are  mixed 
up  with  the  performance  of  its  ceremonies,  while  the 
upper  orders  especially  are  very  lax  in  their  principles. 
Most  of  them,  in  spite  of  the  law  of  their  prophet  pro- 
hibiting the  use  of  wine  and  spirits,  drink  them  when- 
ever they  can  be  procured.  The  rich  have  as  many 
wives  as  they  can  support,  but  the  poor  are  obliged  to 
content  themselves  with  one.  I  should  say  that  my 
host,  when  I  returned  him  the  jar  of  arrack,  deprived 
of  very  little  of  its  contents,  gave  a  grunt  of  satisfaction, 
from  which  I  inferred  that  his  supply  had  run  short, 
and  that  he  was  thankful  that  I  had  not  taken  more. 
I  kept  anxiously  waiting  all  the  time  for  the  arrival 
of  an  interpreter,  for  whom  I  was  convinced  the 
chief  had  sent.  After  we  lost  Captain  O'Carroll  we 
returned  to  our  original  intention  of  procuring  one  at 
Batavia.  This  must  account  for  my  being  at  present 
without  one.  I  had  come  on  shore  in  the  hope  that 
I  might  make  myself  sufficiently  understood  to  carry 
on  a  trade  by  means  of  signs,  as  I  knew  was  often 
done.  As,  however,  my  new  friends  would  not  make 
the  attempt  to  talk  by  sign^or  in  any  other  way,  I 
liad  to  wait  patiently  till  somebody  should  arrive  to 
help  us  out  of  our  dilemma. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

A  PRISONER  OF  WAR. 

~T  AT  length  lost  all  patience  at  the  non-arrival  of  the 
expected  interpreter,  and,  rising,  made  a  profound 
salaam  to  the  chief,  which  was,  I  saw,  accurately 
imitated  by  Jack,  who  was  at  my  side  with  a  comical 
expression  of  countenance  not  indicative  of  much 
respect  for  the  great  man.  The  chief  said  something 
which  I  understood  to  mean  that  he  hoped  I  would 
remain  longer,  but  as  I  really  was  anxious  to  return 
on  board,  I  only  bowed  again  lower  than  before,  and 
pointed  towards  the  harbour,  continuing  to  move  in 
the  direction  of  the  entrance.  He  did  not  attempt  to 
stop  me,  and  the  people  who  had  come  with  me  were, 
I  saw,  prepared  to  accompany  me  back. 

I  had  just  reached  the  outside,  when  I  saw  approach- 
ing an  individual  dressed  in  the  native  shirt  and 
sarung,  or  kilt,  whom  I  naturally  took  to  be  a 
Javanese. 

He  stopped  and  look*ed  at  me  attentively,  saying  in 
Dutch,  "  I  was  sent  for  by  the  chief  to  come  and  inter- 
pret for  a  French  gentleman  who  has  arrived  here  on 
some  diplomatic  business  of  importance.  I  shall  be 
happy  to  do  my  best,  but  you  are  aware  that  some  of 


2O4  James  Braithwaite. 

the  troops  of  your  countrymen  will  be  here  soon,  and 
that  then  there  will  be  no  lack  of  people  better  able 
to  interpret  for  you  than  I  am.  You  of  course  know 
that  the  English  attempted  to  make  a  landing,  but 
have  been  defeated,  and  it  is  thought  probable  that 
they  will  make  another  attempt  in  this  direction." 
He  appeared  to  say  this  in  a  very  significant  manner. 
The  information  he  gave  might  or  might  not  be  correct, 
but  there  was  a  friendliness  in  his  look  and  tone  which 
led  me  to  suppose  that  he  knew  I  was  English,  and 
that  he  wished  to  warn  me  of  my  danger.  I  was 
doubtful  what  to  say  in  return,  but  quickly  resolved 
to  hurry  down  to  the  watering  party  to  advise  them 
to  return  on  board  and  to  warn  Captain  Hassall,  that 
he  might  be  ready  immediately  to  get  under  way. 
I  turned  to  the  seeming  native,  whom  I  now  discovered 
to  be  a  Dutchman,  and  thanked  him  for  what  he  had 
told  me,  remarking  that  our  business  was  of  no  con- 
sequence, and  that  as  it  was  possible  the  wind  might 
change,  I  proposed  returning  on  board  at  once.  He 
smiled,  and  said  he  thought  it  was  the  best  thing  I 
could  do.  This  convinced  me  of  his  good  feeling,  and 
that  he  knew  I  was  English.  Just  at  that  moment 
a  guard  of  soldiers  emerged  from  the  palace,  and  their 
officer,  addressing  the  Dutchman,  made  signs  to  me 
that  I  was  forthwith  to  return. 

"  I  am  sorry,"  observed  the  Dutchman  to  me  in 
English;  "we  must  attend  the  summons,  but  your 
boy  need  not,  and  you  may  send  him  to  let  your 
companions  know." 


A  Prisoner  of  War.  205 

I  took  the  advice  and  ordered  Jack  to  find  his  way 
down  to  the  boats,  and  to  tell  the  mates  to  hurry  on 
board  with  or  without  water,  and  to  advise  Captain 
Hassall  to  get  under  way  immediately.  I  added, 
"  Tell  him  to  stand  off  and  on  for  a  couple  of  hours. 
If  I  am  at  liberty  I  will  put  off  in  a  native  boat,  but  if 
I  am  detained,  tell  him  to  save  the  ship  and  cargo,  and 
that  I  hope  before  long  to  make  my  escape." 

Jack  fully  understood  my  message,  but  I  must  say, 
to  his  credit,  that  he  seemed  very  unwilling  to  leave 
me  to  my  fate. 

"  I  am  in  no  danger,"  I  remarked  ;  "  I  may  possibly 
be  detained  a  few  days,  but  I  am  not  likely  to  suffer 
any  other  inconvenience.  Now,  quick,  my  lad,  or  the 
ship  and  all  hands  may  be  caught  in  a  trap." 

Jack  gave  me  a  nod,  and  was  off  like  a  shot.  I 
scarcely  expected,  however,  that  he  would  be  allowed 
to  go  free ;  but  no  one,  I  suppose,  had  received  orders 
to  stop  him,  and  so  he  pursued  his  way  unmolested. 
The  officers  of  the  guard  had,  in  the  meantime,  been 
speaking  to  the  Dutchman,  who  told  me  that  I  must 
return  forthwith,  as  the  chief  was  waiting  to  receive 
me.  I  of  course  could  do  nothing  else  than  face  about, 
and  with  my  new  friend  accompany  the  guard.  The 
men  were  armed  with  formidable  long  spears  and 
daggers,  but  the  officer  carried  a  musket,  which  looked 
more  like  an  ensign  of  authority  than  a  weapon  to  be 
used.  As  I  returned  through  the  courtyard  I  considered 
what  I  should  say  to  the  chief.  "  Tell  the  truth  and  be 
not  afraid,"  said  conscience.  I  determined  to  do  so. 


206  James  Braithwaite. 

When  I  re-entered  the  hall  of  audience,  the  chief 
was  seated  on  his  divan,  and  evidently  intended  to 
receive  me  in  greater  state.  Some  of  the  assemblage 
sat  down  cross-legged  on  cushions  in  front  of  the 
divan,  while  others  stood  with  their  bodies  bent  for- 
ward on  either  side,  the  guards  who  remained  turning 
their  backs  on  the  great  man.  The  Dutchman  and  I 
took  our  seats  on  cushions  directly  below  the  divan. 
I  found  afterwards  that  among  the  Javanese  a  sitting 
posture  is  considered  more  respectful  than  an  upright 
one.  The  chief,  through  the  Dutch  interpreter,  now 
asked  me  a  number  of  questions,  which,  according  to 
my  previous  determination,  I  answered  correctly. 
The  great  man,  I  thought,  looked  somewhat  surprised 
at  finding  that  I  was  not  so  important  a  person  as  he 
had  at  first  supposed. 

Occasionally  my  Dutch  friend  remarked  that  I  had 
better  not  reply  to  some  of  the  questions  put  to  me, 
but  I  answered  that  I  was  perfectly  ready  to  stand 
by  the  consequences  of  anything  I  might  say.  Such 
has  been  my  practice  through  life — I  might  say,  more 
modestly,  my  endeavour — to  do  right  on  all  occasions, 
to  avow  whatever  I  have  done,  and  to  take  the  con- 
sequences, whatever  they  may  be.  I  do  not  say  that 
such  a  mode  of  proceeding  may  not  occasionally  get  a 
man  seemingly  into  trouble,  but  I  do  say  that  it  is  the 
only  right  course,  and  that  he  is  equally  certain  to  get 
out  of  it  again  ;  whereas  an  opposite  course  must  lead 
him  into  difficulties,  and  involve  him  more  and  more 
as  he  tries  to  extricate  himself  by  prevarication,  sub- 


A  Prisoner  of  War.  207 

terfuge,  or  falsehood.  I  therefore  told  the  chief  that  I 
had  come  on  shore  hoping  to  open  up  a  trade  with 
him,  under  the  belief  that  the  country  was  no  longer 
either  in  possession  of  the  Dutch  or  French,  but  that 
it  was  now  under  the  rule  of  England.  If  I  was 
mistaken  I  was  ready  to  undergo  the  penalty,  and 
must  run  the  risk  of  being  treated  as  a  prisoner  of 
war  should  I  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  French,  but 
that  as  the  English  were  the  friends  of  the  rulers  and 
people  of  Java,  I  expected  to  be  treated  by  him  as  a 
friend. 

This  answer,  which  I  had  reason  to  believe  the 
Dutchman  faithfully  interpreted,  seemed  to  please  the 
chief.  However,  he  made  no  direct  reply  to  me,  but 
spoke  for  some  time  aside  to  his  companions,  whom 
I  took  to  be  officially  counsellors  or  advisers.  One 
made  a  remark,  then  another,  and  at  last  one  said 
something  at  which  I  thought  my  friend  the  Dutch- 
man looked  rather  blank.  A  good  deal  of  discussion 
took  place,  when  I  heard  the  chief  issue  some  orders 
to  the  officers  of  the  guards.  Immediately  on  this 
two  of  the  counsellors  got  up,  and  with  the  officer  and 
several  other  persons,  and  part  of  the  guard,  left  the  hall. 

The  movement  seemed  to  give  great  satisfaction  to 
the  counsellors,  especially  to  the  gentleman  who  had 
made  the  suggestion,  as  I  fancied,  which  led  to  it, 
while  a  pleased  smile  played  over  the  countenance 
of  the  chief.  All  the  time  the  honest  Dutchman 
looked  very  much  annoyed.  At  length  I  asked  him 
what  it  was  aD  about. 


2o8  James  Braithwaite. 

"  I  suppose  that  I  shall  not  be  found  fault  with  for 
telling  you,"  he  answered.  "  And  I  assure  you  that 
I  would  much  rather  not  have  to  give  you  such  un- 
pleasant information.  Do  not  look  surprised  or 
annoyed,  and  no  harm  can  come  of  it.  The  fact  is 
that  the  chief  here,  the  governor  of  this  district, 
Mulock  Ben  Azel,  is  not  a  bright  genius,  and  though 
he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  detain  you,  it  had  not 
occurred  to  him  to  detain  your  vessel.  The  idea,  how- 
ever, was  suggested  to  him  just  now  by  one  of  these 
cunning  gentlemen,  and  he  has  sent  a  party  to  stop 
her.  The  Javanese  are  rather  daring  fellows,  so  that 
the  captain  must  be  smart  if  he  would  get  away  from 
them." 

This  was  indeed  a  disagreeable  announcement.  I 
congratulated  myself,  however,  at  having  sent  off 
Jack  to  warn  Captain  Hassall,  and  I  had  great  hopes 
that  he  would  have  followed  my  advice  and  got  the 
Barbara  under  way  before  the  Javanese  could  reach 
her.  I  thanked  the  Dutchman  for  his  sympathy  and 
kindness. 

"I  have  a  warm  regard  for  the  English,"  he  an- 
swered :  "  I  have  received  much  kindness  at  the  hands 
of  your  countrymen,  and  am  glad  of  an  opportunity  of 
proving  my  gratitude.  As  far  as  you  are  concerned 
I  may  be  of  service,  but  if  these  gentry  get  hold  of 
your  vessel,  I  am  afraid  that  they  will  not  let  her  go 
till  they  have  cleaned  out  her  hold." 

I,  of  course,  on  hearing  all  this  became  very  im- 
patient to  go  and  see  whether  the  Barbara  was 


A  Prisoner  of  War.  209 

leaving  the  harbour,  but  as  far  as  I  could  I  concealed 
ray  feelings,  and  desired  my  Dutch  friend  to  inquire 
of  Mulock  Ben  Azel  whether  he  desired  my  presence 
any  longer ;  and  if  not,  I  begged  leave  to  go  forth  into 
the  open  air  that  I  might  gaze  on  the  beautiful  scen- 
ery amidst  which  he  had  the  happiness  of  dwelling 
and  I  had  the  happiness  of  finding  myself.  I  fancy 
that  the  interpreter  gave  my  request  a  more  oriental 
turn.  The  chief  was  at  all  events  pleased  to  comply 
with  it,  and  directed  some  of  his  attendants  and  my 
Dutch  fiiend  to  accompany  me.  I  made  a  profound 
salaam,  as  if  I  was  highly  pleased  at  all  that  had 
occurred.  The  act  was  somewhat  hypocritical,  I  must 
confess,  but,  at  all  events,  I  was  heartily  glad  to  get 
over  the  audience,  which  was  becoming  very  tedious. 

As  soon  as  I  got  out  on  the  terrace  I  have  before 
described  as  affording  a  magnificent  view  of  the 
surrounding  country,  I  eagerly  looked  seaward  in 
search  of  the  Barbara.  I  almost  gave  a  shout  of 
satisfaction  as  I  saw  her  with  a  strong  breeze  off  shore, 
standing  away  under  all  the  canvas  she  could  carry. 
She  had  good  reason  to  make  the  best  use  of  her  heels, 
for  a  whole  fleet  of  boats,  some  of  considerable  size  and 
full  of  men,  were  in  hot  chase  after  her.  I  stood  with 
my  companions  eagerly  watching  the  chase,  though 
the  objects  of  our  interest  were  very  different.  I  was 
anxious  that  the  Barbara  should  escape,  they  that 
she  should  be  caught.  I  knew  for  one,  though,  that 
if  good  seamanship  would  enable  him  to  get  away, 
Captain  Hassall  would  give  his  pursuers  the  slip. 

14 


2io  James  Braithwaite. 

I  knew  too  that  he  would  not  be  taken,  even  if  the 
boats  should  catch  him  up,  without  a  fight.  My 
earnest  hope  was  therefore  that  the  breeze  might  con- 
tinue. In  that  climate,  however,  the  land  wind  often 
falls  towards  the  evening,  and  if  it  should  do  so,  it 
would  give  the  Javanese  a  great  advantage.  I  found 
my  new  friend  by  my. side,  and  I  glanced  at  him. 

"  Your  vessel  sails  well,  and  I  am  glad  of  it,"  he 
observed.  "The  orders  were  to  bring  her  in  at  all 
risks ;  at  the  same  time,  if  her  captain  shows  a  bold 
front  I  do  not  think  the  natives  will  dare  to  attack 
him  at  a  distance  from  the  land." 

My  hopes  and  fears  alternately  rose  and  fell  as  I 
watched  the  chase.  Sometimes  the  boats  seemed  to 
be  gaining  on  her.  At  other  times  she  appeared  to  be 
obtaining  the  advantage.  She  continued  to  increase 
her  canvas  till  every  stitch  she  could  carry  was  set  on 
her,  studding  sails  on  either  side,  royals,  and  even  still 
lighter  sails  above  them,  which  we  used  to  call  sky- 
scrapers. I  now  observed  that  although  there  were 
several  large  boats  engaged  in  the  chase,  they  were 
but  slow  sailers,  and  that  the  small  ones  were  draw- 
ing ahead  of  them.  These  of  course  would  be  more 
easil}T  dealt  with  by  the  Barbara's  crew  than  the 
larger  craft. 

The  latter  were  vessels  of  about  forty  tons,  carrying 
fifty  or  sixty  persons.  The  hulls  of  those  I  had  seen 
on  landing  were  neatly  built,  with  round  heads  and 
sterns  ;  and"  over  the  hulls  were  light  small  houses, 
composed  of  bamboos,  and  divided  into  three  or  four 


A  Prisoner  of  War.  2 1 1 

cabins.  The  sides  were  formed  of  split  bamboos  about 
four  feet  high,  with  windows  in  them  to  open  and 
shut  at  pleasure ;  the  roofs  were  almost  flat,  and 
thatched  with  palm  leaves.  The  oars  are  worked  by  the 
crew  standing  at  the  fore  and  after  part  of  the  vessel. 
I  thought  that  probably  the  boats  now  in  chase  of 
the  Barbara  were  modifications  of  this  sort  of  craft, 
and  more  adapted  to  warlike  purposes  than  they  were. 
The  natives  became  at  length  even  more  excited  than 
I  was  as  the  breeze  occasionally  fell  and  gave  their 
boats  an  advantage.  They  knew  also  that  the  land 
breeze  would  soon  set  in,  which  I  did  not.  They 
probably  fancied  that  when  it  did  the  vessel  would  be 
caught  in  a  trap,  not  knowing  that  she  could  haul  her 
wind  and  still  keep  ahead  of  them. 

I  stood  watching  the  various  circumstances  of  the 
chase,  till  at  length,  greatly  to  my  relief,  I  saw  the 
boats,  as  if  by  signal,  begin  to  return  together  towards 
the  shore,  while  the  Barbara,  continued  standing  off 
shore  till  she  met  the  sea  breeze,  when  she  hauled  her 
wind  and  stood  away  to  the  northward.  My  Dutch 
friend  congratulated  me  on  her  escape. 

"And  as  it  appears  that  you  are  not  to  be  detained 
as  a  prisoner,  the  sooner  you  get  out  of  this  place  the 
better,"  he  observed.  "  I  will  gladly  welcome  you  to 
my  abode,  where  you  can  remain  till  we  gain  further 
information  as  to  the  result  of  the  British  expedition 
against  Batavia.  If  it  is  ultimately  successful,  your 
ship  will  put  in  at  that  place,  and  you  can  rejoin 
her." 


212  James  Braithwaite* 

I  gladly  accepted  his  offer.  As  we  passed  through 
the  large  entrance  court  he  pointed  out  two  large 
Indian- fig-trees,  and  told  ine  that  under  them  was 
the  place  where  criminals  were  executed.  On  each  side  ' 
of  the  court  was  a  row  of  the  same  description  of 
tree.  We  descended  the  hill  towards  the  harbour. 
On  approaching  it  I  heard  the  shrill  voice  of  a  boy 
crying  out  loudly  amid  the  shouts  and  chattering  of 
a  number  of  natives.  I  soon  recognised  the  voice  of 
Jack  Nobs,  who  had,  I  had  hoped,  made  his  escape 
in  the  boats.  The  people,  seeing  me  accompanied  by 
guards,  made  way  for  Jack,  who  ran  towards  me, 
crying  out, — 

"Oh,  save  me,  Mr.  Braithwaite!  save  me,  sir! 
These  savinges  are  a-going  to  cut  off  my  head,  or  to 
hang  me  up  and  cook  and  eat  me.  They  eat  people 
in  these  parts,  and  they  look  as  if  they  would  make 
nothing  of  devouring  me." 

In  vain  I  tried  to  pacify  him.  He  seemed  to  fear 
that  the  natives  were  going  to  treat  me  in  the  same 
way  he  thought  that  they  were  about  to  treat  him. 

"  But  what  made  you  come  back,  Jack  ?  "  I  asked. 
"  I  thought  that  you  had  gone  off  to  the  ship." 

"What,  leave  you  all  alone  among  the  savinges  !"  he 
answered,  looking  up  reproachfully  at  me.  "  No,  no, 
sir.  After  you  have  been  so  kind  to  me,  and  always 
took  me  with  you  wherever  you've  been,  and  we  was 
nearly  all  drowned  together !  No,  no,  if  harm  is  to 
come  of  it,  I  says  to  myself,  I'll  go  shares  with  Mr. 
Braithwaite,  whatever  happens;  so,  when  the  boats 


A  Prisoner  of  War.  213 

shoved  off,  I  scud  away,  and  when  the  men  called  me 
to  coine  along  with  them,  and  not  to  mind  you,  for 
that  I  could  do  you  no  good,  I  wouldn't  go  back,  but 
.kept  beckoning  them  to  be  off;  so  away  they  went, 
and  I  ran  up  in  shore  and  hid  myself.  The  savinges, 
howsorndever,  found  me  out  at  last,  and  as  long  as 
they  thought  that  they  should  get  hold  of  the  ship 
they  treated  me  civil  enough,  as  they  might  a  pet 
monkey ;  but  when  they  found  that  they  could  not 
catch  her,  they  turned  their  rage  on  me,  and  what 
they're  going  to  do  with  us  I'm  sure  I  don't  know. 
Oh  dear  !  oh  dear  ! " 

Jack's  fears  were  very  natural,  for  the  dark-skinned, 
half-naked  Javanese,  with  their  glittering  kreeses  or 
daggers  in  their  hands,  which  they  nourished  about 
while  they  vociferated  loudly,  were  very  ferocious- 
looking  fellows. 

"  They  are  disappointed,"  said  the  Dutchman,  "  at 
the  escape  of  your  ship,  and  they  accuse  the  boy  of 
being  the  cause  of  the  boats  going  off  and  giving  her 
warning.  Let  him,  however,  keep  close  to  me,  and  I 
will  do  my  best  to  protect  him." 

My  new  friend,  who,  by-the-bye,  told  me  his  name 
was  Peter  Van  Deck,  now  addressed  the  people  and 
told  them  that  the  boy  was  not  to  blame ;  whatever 
he  had  done  was  in  consequence  of  the  orders  lie 
had  received,  and  that  he  had  no  intention  of  offending 
them.  I  had  slipped  a  few  small  pieces  of  coin,  which 
I  had  fortunately  in  my  pocket,  into  his  hand,  and  on 
his  distributing  these  among  the  most  influential  of 


214  James  Braithwaite. 

the  assemblage,  public  opinion  was  turned  completely 
in  our  favour,  and  we  were  allowed  to  proceed  with- 
out further  molestation.  A  small  sum  bestowed  on 
the  officer  of  the  guard  had  a  like  beneficial  effect,  and 
after  receiving  an  assurance  from  Mynheer  Van  Deck 
that  we  would  not  run  away,  and  would  be  found  at 
his  house  if  wanted,  he  and  his  men,  very  much  to  my 
relief,  took  their  departure,  while  the  Dutchman,  Jack, 
and  I  set  off  in  an  opposite  direction. 

The  island  of  Java,  it  must  be  remembered,  runs 
about  due  east  and  west.  Our  course  was  towards 
the  west,  or  in  the  direction  of  Batavia.  There  was, 
however,  not  far  off — about  twenty  miles  I  understood 
— a  town  and  fort,  garrisoned  by  French  troops,  called 
Cheribon.  The  scenery  was  very  fine,  heightened  by 
the  luxuriance  of  tropical  vegetation.  On  our  left  rose 
a  succession  of  heights,  beyond  which  appeared  the  sum- 
mits of  the  ridge  of  lofty  mountains  which  runs  down 
the  centre  of  the  island,  dividing  it  longitudinally 
into  two  parts,  of  which,  however,  the  northern  is  the 
largest,  most  fertile,  and  best  known.  My  Dutch 
friend  was  very  communicative  respecting  the  pro- 
ductions of  the  country,  and  the  manners  and  customs 
of  the  inhabitants.  I  noted  down,  therefore,  the  in- 
formation I  received  from  him,  which  I  give  in  as 
concise  a  form  as  I  can. 

The  climate  is  certainly  hot,  as  might  be  expected 
from  being  so  near  the  equator,  but  it  is  much  more 
endurable  than  I  had  expected  to  find  it,  and  on  the 
sides  of  the  mountains  it  is  often  quite  cool,  so  that  thick 


A  Prisoner  of  War.  215 

clothing  is  necessary.  As  also  the  nights  are  nearly  the 
same  length  as  the  days,  there  is  time  for  the  air  to  cool 
while  the  sun  is  below  the  horizon.  The  bad  or  un- 
healthy monsoon  blows  from  the  west,  from  the  end 
of  November  to  the  beginning  of  March.  This  is 
the  rainy  season.  After  it  the  easterly  winds  blow 
for  some  time.  The  breaking  up  of  the  monsoon  is 
the  most  unhealthy  season  of  all.  There  are  no 
navigable  rivers,  but  numerous  streams  descend  from 
the  mountains  and  irrigate  the  land.  One  of  the  chief 
productions  of  this  country  is  pepper.  It  is  produced 
from  a  plant  of  the  vine  kind,  Piper  nigrum,  which 
twines  its  tendrils  round  poles  or  trees,  like  ivy  or 
hops.  The  pepper-corns  grow  in  bunches  close  to 
each  other.  They  are  first  green,  but  afterwards  turn 
black.  When  dried  they  are  separated  from  the  dust 
and  partly  from  the  outward  membranous  coat  by 
means  of  a  kind  of  winnow,  and  are  then  laid  up  in 
warehouses.  The  white  pepper  is  the  same  produc- 
tion as  the  black.  It  undergoes  a  process  to  change 
its  colour,  being  laid  in  lime,  which  takes  off  the  outer 
black  coat  and  leaves  it  white. 

Rice  is  also  produced  in  large  quantities.  It  grows 
chiefly  in  low  fenny  ground.  After  it  has  been  sown, 
and  has  shot  up  about  half  a  foot  from  the  ground, 
it  is  transplanted  by  little  bundles  of  one  or  more 
plants  in  rows;  then,  by  damming  up  the  many 
rivulets  which  abound  in  this  country,  the  rice  is  in- 
undated in  the  rainy  season,  and  kept  under  water 
till  the  stalks  have  attained  sufficient  strength,  when 


2 1 6  James  Braithwaite. 

the  land  is  drained  by  opening  the  dams,  and  it  is 
soon  dried  by  the  great  heat  of  the  sun.  At  the  time 
of  the  rice  harvest  the  fields  have  much  the  same  ap- 
pearance as  our  wheat  and  barley  fields,  and  indeed 
are  uniformly  covered  with  a  still  more  brilliantly 
golden  hue.  The  sickle  is  not  used  in  reaping  the 
rice,  but  instead  of  it  a  small  knife,  with  which  the 
stalk  is  cut  about  a  foot  under  the  ear ;  this  is  done 
one  by  one,  and  the  ears  are  then  bound  in  sheaves, 
the  tenth  of  which  is  the  pay  of  the  mower.  The 
paddee,  which  is  the  name  given  to  the  rice  while 
in  the  husk,  does  not  grow,  like  wheat  and  barley, 
in  compact  ears,  but,  like  oats,  in  loose  spikes.  It  is 
not  threshed  to  separate  it  from  the  husks,  but 
pounded  in  large  wooden  blocks  hollowed  out,  and 
the  more  it  is  pounded  the  whiter  it  becomes  when 
boiled.  Rice,  with  fish  or  a  little  meat  chopped  up, 
constitute  the  chief  food  of  the  inhabitants.  Sugar, 
coffee,  and  indigo  are  also  largely  produced. 

For  the  purposes  of  agriculture  buffaloes  are  used 
instead  of  horses.  They  are  very  large  animals,  bigger 
and  heavier  than  our  largest  oxen,  furnished  with 
great  ears,  and  horns  which  project  straight  forward 
and  bend  inwards.  A  hole  is  bored  through  the 
cartilage  of  the  nose,  and  these  huge  animals  are 
guided  by  a  cord  which  is  passed  through  it.  They 
have  little  eyes,  and  their  colour  is  generally  ashy 
grey.  They  are  so  accustomed  to  be  led  three  times 
a  day  into  the  water  to  cool  themselves,  that  they 
cannot  without  doingf  so  be  brought  to  work-  The 


A  Prisoner  of  War.  217 

people  themselves,  by-the-bye,  are  great  bathers,  both 
men  and  women,  the  children,  who  seldom  wear 
clothes  till  they  are  seven  or  eight,  being  constantly 
in  the  water.  That  said  custom  must  be  a  great 
saving  of  expense  to  the  parents  of  a  large  family. 
The  people  are  generally  of  a  light  brown  colour, 
of  the  middle  height,  and  well  proportioned,  with  a 
broad  forehead  and  a  nattish  nose,  which  has  a  slight 

'  O 

curve  downward  at  the  tip.  Their  hair  is  black,  and 
is  always  kept  smooth  and  shining  with  cocoa-nut  oil. 
The  dress  of  the  women  consists  of  a  piece  of  cotton 
cloth  wrapped  round  the  body  and  covering  the 
bosom,  under  which  it  is  secured  ;  it  then  hangs  down 
to  the  knees,  and  sometimes  to  the  ankles,  while  the 
shoulders  and  part  of  the  back  remain  uncovered. 
The  hair  of  their  head,  which  they  wear  very  long, 
is  turned  up  and  twisted  round  like  a  fillet,  fastened 
with  long  bodkins  of  different  sorts  of  wood,  tortoise- 
shell,  silver,  or  gold,  according  to  the  rank  of  the  lady. 
It  is  often  adorned  with  a  variety  of  flowers.  The 
Javanese  are  nominally  Mohammedans,  but  in  the- 
interior  especially  a  number  of  idolatrous  practices  are 
still  kept  up. 

Pleasantly  conversing  we  at  length  reached  the 
residence  of  Mynheer  Van  Deck.  It  was  built  in 
the  best  style  of  native  architecture,  that  is  to  say, 
on  a  raised  platform  of  stone  or  brick  ;  the  outer 
walls  were  of  brick,  with  a  verandah  of  bamboo,  all 
round  which  the  partitions,  as  was  most  of  the 
furniture,  were  of  bamboo,  which  had  a  very  cool 


218  James  Braithwaite. 

appearance,  and  was  sufficient  for  a  hot  climate.  My 
host  was  a  bachelor,  not  from  choice,  he  assured  me, 
but  from  necessity,  on  account  of  the  scarcity  of 
European  ladies  in  the  island. 

"  Those  who  are  born  here  are  so  ill-educated,  and  so 
indolent,  that  a  man  is  better  without  their  society," 
he  remarked. 

In  spite  of  this  drawback  he  received  me  very 
hospitably  and  kindly,  and  though  I  was  vexed  at 
having  again  been  separated  from  my  ship,  I  confessed 
to  myself  that  I  had  very  little  cause  to  complain 
of  my  lot.  I  was  leaning  back  on  an  easy  bamboo 
chair  and  gazing  out  through  a  vista  of  palm-trees 
on  the  deep  blue  sea,  when  the  clatter  of  horses'  feet 
coming  along  the  road  caught  our  ears.  As  they 
drew  near  the  clank  of  sabres  was  heard  at  the  same 
time.  The  voice  of  an  officer  crying  "  Halt "  was 
next  heard,  and  soon  afterwards  we  saw  him  ap- 
proaching the  house.  My  host,  with  a  look  of  con- 
siderable annoyance,  rose  to  receive  him.  He  was 
a  young  and  pleasant-looking  man. 

"  Ah,  Mynheer  Van  Deck,  bon  jour,"  he  said.  "  You 
have  in  your  house,  I  am  given  to  understand,  a 
foreigner,  supposed  to  be  an  English  spy.  I  am  come 
to  demand  him  from  you." 

"  I  am  the  person  to  whom  you  allude,  monsieur," 
I  said,  rising  from  my  seat  and  going  forward  "  You 
are,  however,  wrongly  informed.  I  am  an  English- 
man, but  not  a  spy.  I  landed,  not  knowing  that 
this  part  of  the  island  was  in  possession  of  the  French, 


A  Prisoner  of  War.  219 

and  had  I  not  been  detained  I  should  have  returned 
to  ray  ship." 

"  I  am  not  here  to  dispute  the  point,  monsieur," 
he  said,  bowing  politely.  "  I  must  perform  my  duty, 
and  that  is  to  convey  you  with  me  to  Cheribon, 
where  my  superior  officers  will  investigate  the  matter. 
You  have  supped,  I  conclude ;  we  will  therefore  take 
advantage  of  the  cool  of  the  evening,  and  make  good 
as  much  of  our  journey  as  the  waning  day  will  allow 
us  to  perform." 

My  Dutch  friend  shrugged  his  shoulders.  There 
was  not  much  time  for  consideration.  I  saw  that 
I  had  no  resource  but  to  obey,  though  I  must  own 
that  1  diet  so  with  a  very  bad  grace. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

PIRATES. 

"\  /TY  host,  in  spite  of  his  annoyance,  did  not  forget 
-*-'-*-  the  duties  of  hospitality,  and  warmly  pressed 
our  unwelcome  visitor  to  take  some  refreshment.  The 
young  officer,  however,  declined,  on  the  plea  that  the 
day  was  already  far  spent,  and  that  he  had  no  time 
to  spare.  On  going  round  to  the  front  of  the  house, 
I  found  two  led  horses  under  the  charge  of  a  soldier. 
They  were  absurdly  small  for  cavalry,  and  would 
have  been  quickly  ridden  over  by  any  one  of  our 
heavy  regiments. 

I  was  about  to  bid  Mynheer  Van  Deck  farewell. 

"No,  not  yet,  my  friend,"  he  answered.  "I  purpose 
accompanying  you  to  Cheribon,  that  I  may  render 
you  any  service  in  my  power.  I  have  a  horse,  and 
will  follow  immediately." 

The  officer  made  a  sign  of  impatience,  so  I  mounted 
one  of  the  steeds,  and  Jack  sprang  on  the  back  of  the 
other,  where  he  sat  very  much  as  a  big  monkey  would 
have  done,  fully  resolved,  it  seemed,  to  enjoy  any  fun 
which  might  be  forthcoming.  As  the  French  soldiers 
treated  him  kindly,  and  spoke  in  a  good-natured  tone 
to  him,  though  he  could  not  understand  what  they 


Pirates.  221 

said,  his  fears  quickly  vanished,  and  he  was  speedily 
"  hail  fellow  well  met  "  with  them  all. 

The  officer  I  found  a  very  gentlemanly  young  man. 
He  rode  up  alongside  me  after  we  had  proceeded  a 
little  way,  and  seemed  eager  enough  to  talk  about 
La  Belle  France  and  Paris  ;  but  when  I  endeavoured 
to  draw  any  information  from  him  respecting  the 
proceedings  at  the  west  end  of  the  island,  he  closed 
his  mouth,  or  gave  only  vague  answers.  From  this 
I  argued  that  affairs  had  not  gone  with  the  French 
in  quite  as  satisfactory  a  manner  as  they  wished.  I 
asked  him  at  last  whether  he  thought  that  I  should 
be  detained  or  be  otherwise  inconvenienced  by  the 
commandant  at  Cheribon. 

"We  shoot  spies,"  he  answered  laconically,  at  the 
same  time  shrugging  his  shoulders  as  a  Frenchman 
only  can  do.  "  C'est  la  fortune  de  la  guerre." 

"  But,  my  dear  sir,  I  am  no  spy,"  I  answered.  "  The 
governor,  or  native  chief,  purposed  to  seize  my  vessel, 
and  I  was  left  on  shore  while  she  made  her  escape. 
I  am  but  a  supercargo  anxious  to  sell  the  goods  en- 
trusted to  me." 

The  young  officer  gave  a  smile  of  incredulity,  yet 
with  an  air  of  so  much  politeness  that  I  really  could 
not  be  angry  with  him ;  indeed  it  would  have  done 
me  no  good  if  I  were.  We  were  in  a  short  time 
joined  by  Mynheer  Van  Deck,  who  came  galloping 
up  on  a  much  finer  horse  than  any  possessed  by  the 
French  soldiers.  I  found  from  my  captor  that  the 
journey  would  be  far  longer  than  I  had  expected,  as 


222  James  Braithwaite. 

we  bad  to  make  a  considerable  detour  to  visit  a  native 
chief,  or  prince,  to  whom  he  had  a  message.  My  belief 
was  that  he  was  beating  up  for  native  recruits  to 
oppose  the  British  force,  which,  if  not  arrived,  must 
have  been  hourly  expected.  We  had  several  natives 
with  us,  armed  with  long  spears  and  daggers,  a  few 
only  having  firelocks.  Van  Deck  told  me  that  we 
should  soon  have  to  pass  a  river,  rather  a  dangerous 
spot,  on  account  of  the  number  of  tigers  which  came 
there  to  drink,  and  which  had  already  carried  off 
several  natives. 

"But  surely  they  would  not  venture  to  attack  so 
large  a  body  of  men  as  this,"  I  remarked. 

"  Not  if  we  could  keep  together,  unless  they  happen 
to  be  very  hungry,"  he  answered.  "  Unfortunately, 
however,  the  path  in  some  places  is  so  narrow  that 
we  have  to  proceed  in  single  file,  and  as  there  are 
fallen  trees  and  other  impediments  in  the  way, 
travellers  are  apt  to  get  separated,  when,  of  course, 
they  are  more  liable  to  be  picked  off.  I  always  keep 
my  pistol  cocked  in  my  hand,  that  I  may  have  a 
chance  of  shooting  my  assailant." 

"But  I  came  on  shore  unarmed,  and  have  no 
pistols,"  I  answered. 

"Then  keep  ahead  of  me,  and  if  I  see  a  tiger  spring 
at  you  I  will  fire  at  him,  and  do  my  best  to  save  you." 

"But  the  poor  boy  who  is  with  me — he  has  a 
poor  chance,  I  am  afraid,"  I  observed,  after  I  had 
thanked  my  friend  for  his  offer. 

"  Oh,  he  is  safe  enough   if  he   keeps   close  to  the 


Pirates.  223 

soldiers;  the  clatter  of  their  arms  frightens  the 
beasts." 

While  the  Dutchman  was  speaking  we  came  in 
sight  of  the  river.  It  was  fordable,  though  rather 
deep,  and  as  the  leading  men  on  their  small  horses 
plunged  in  the  water  was  up  to  their  saddle-girths. 
I  naturally  looked  out  on  either  side  for  our  expected 
enemies.  Three  or  four  large  animals  sprang  off  just 
as  the  leading  horses  reached  the  opposite  bank.  I 
thought  they  were  tigers. 

"  Oh,  no,  they  are  only  wild  cats,"  said  Van  Deck. 
"Rather  unpleasant  to  be  caught  by  one  of  them 
asleep,  but  they  are  easily  frightened." 

I  thought  to  myself,  If  those  creatures  are  Java 
wild  cats,  what  must  Java  tigers  be  like  ?  We  all 
passed  across  the  stream  without  any  accident,  a 
small  body  of  half-clad  natives  bringing  up  the  rear. 
They  were  climbing  up  the  somewhat  steep  bank, 
when  a  fearful  shriek,  followed  by  loud  shouts  and 
cries,  made  me  turn  my  head,  and  I  caught  sight  of 
a  monster  bounding  along  the  bank,  with  the  writh- 
ing, struggling  body  of  a  human  being  between  his 
huge  jaws.  The  poor  wretch's  sarung,  or  plaid, 
had  become  loose,  and  dragged  after  him.  Already 
several  natives  were  setting  off  in  chase,  while  others 
were  discharging  their  firearms  at  the  animal,  though 
at  the  risk  of  killing  the  man.  The  French  officer 
called  out  to  them  to  desist,  and  seizing  a  lance  from 
one  of  the  people,  gallantly  dashed  after  the  tiger. 
I  naturally  wished  to  join  in  the  chase,  but  Van 


224  James  Braithwaite. 

Deck  entreated  me  to  stop,  telling  me  that  I  should 
very  likely,  if  I  went,  be  picked  off  by  another  tiger 
on  my  return.  As  it  would  have  been  folly  to  dis- 
regard his  advice,  we  pushed  on  as  fast  as  we  could 
to  get  out  of  the  narrow  defile.  We  could  for  several 
minutes  hear  the  shouts  of  the  natives  still  in  pursuit 
of  the  tiger.  After  some  time  they  rejoined  us,  but 
they  had  not  saved  the  poor  man,  and  had,  moreover, 
lost  another  of  their  number,  who  had  been  carried 
off  by  a  tiger  just  as  the  first  leaped  over  a  cliff  fifty 
feet  above  the  valley,  with  the  man  still  in  its  mouth. 
It  was  followed  triumphantly  by  its  companion. 

"  This  is  not  the  country  I  should  choose  to  travel 
in,  still  less  to  live  in,"  I  said. 

"  It  cannot  be  helped,"  observed  the  Dutchman.  "  I 
am  well  off  here,  a  great  man  among  small  people. 
I  should  be  a  beggar  elsewhere.  This  is  not,  however, 
the  country  in  which  a  man  of  education  and  mind 
would  choose  to  pitch  his  tent." 

Torches  were  lit  for  the  latter  part  of  our  journey. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  so  nearly  under  the  equator 
as  we  were  the  days  and  nights  are  of  equal  length 
all  the  year  round;  we  therefore  did  not  enjoy  the 
delightful  twilight  of  a  northern  clime. 

Notice  had  been  given  of  our  proposed  visit  to 
the  chief,  or  prince,  who  was,  I  was  told,  of  Malay 
descent.  Preparations  were  therefore  made  for  our 
reception,  and  very  handsome  they  were.  Though 
a  prisoner,  I  was  treated  like  the  rest  of  the  guests. 
The  house  was  much  in  the  style  of  those  I  have 


Pirates.  225 

before  described.  But  I  was  not  prepared  to  find  a 
table  elegantly  set  out  and  spread  with  fine  linen  and 
beautiful  silver  plate.  It  was  lighted  by  four  large 
wax  flambeaux  in  massive  silver  candlesticks.  The 
provisions  were  dressed  in  the  Malay  fashion,  many 
of  the  dishes  being  very  palatable,  and  toasts  were 
drunk  with  three  times  three,  the  Malays  of  inferior 
rank,  who  sat  round  the  room  on  the  ground  against 
the  walls  to  the  number  of  thirty,  joining  in  the 
huzzas.  It  was  altogether  a  curious  scene  of  barbaric 
splendour.  The  prince  escorted  us  to  our  rooms, 
where  we  found  capital  beds,  beautiful  linen,  and 
very  fine  mosquito-nets,  ornamented  with  fringe.  The 
Malay  servants  slept  under  the  beds  on  mats,  or  in 
the  corners  of  the  rooms,  to  be  in  readiness  if  required. 
Breakfast  was  prepared  at  daybreak,  that  we  might 
continue  our  journey  in  the  cool  of  the  morning. 

We  rested  under  the  shade  of  some  trees  during 
the  day,  the  soldiers  keeping  up  a  fearful  din  to 
scare  away  any  wild  beast  who  might  chance  to  be 
prowling  about  in  search  of  a  dinner.  The  young 
officer  had  fortunately  a  French  cook  among  his  men, 
who  very  soon  contrived  to  place  before  us  a  capital 
dinner,  though  of  what  it  was  composed  I  could 
not  discover.  I  rather  think  that  hashed  monkey 
formed  one  of  the  dishes.  As,  towards  night,  we 
approached  Cheribon,  my  kind  Dutch  friend  did  his 
best  to  keep  up  my  spirits,  assuring  me  that  he 
would  spare  no  pains  to  prove  that  I  was  not  a  spy. 
He  was  not  quite  sure  that  the  accounts  received  of 

15 


226  James  Braithwaite. 

the  defeat  of  the  English  were  correct ;  and  the  French 
commandant  would  scarcely  venture  to  hang  me 
without  very  strong  proofs  of  my  guilt,  and  with 
the  possibility  of  being  made  a  prisoner  himself  by  my 
countrymen  ere  long,  should  they  have  been  victorious. 
Still  it  was  with  no  very  pleasant  feelings  that  I  was 
formally  conducted  into  the  fort  as  a  prisoner. 

The  forts  of  Cheribon  had  been  allowed  to  fall  into 
decay  by  the  Dutch,  but  since  the  French  occupation 
of  the  island  had  been  repaired  and  considerably 
strengthened.  I  was  told  that  the  commandant 
boasted  that  he  could  hold  out  against  any  force 
likely  to  be  sent  against  him,  even  should  my 
countrymen  gain  the  day.  I  was  taken  at  once  before 
him  and  examined,  but  though  he  had  no  evidence  to 
prove  me  guilty,  as  I  was  accused  of  being  a  spy  he 
would  not  take  my  parole.  I  was  by  his  orders 
accordingly  locked  up  in  a  cell  with  iron  bars  to  the 
windows,  a  three-legged  stool,  and  a  heap  of  straw 
in  a  corner  for  a  bed.  Mr.  Van  Deck  had  not  entered 
the  fort.  In  a  little  time  Jack  was  thrust  into  the 
cell  with  very  little  ceremony.  He  brought  me  a 
message  from  my  Dutch  friend,  saying  that  there  had 
been  a  battle,  and  he  suspected  that  the  French  had 
been  defeated.  I  heartily  hoped  that  he  was  correct. 
I  had  reason  to  believe  that  my  prison,  bad  as  it  was,  was 
the  best  in  the  fort,  for  Jack  told  me  that  he  had  seen 
guards  going  round  with  messes  of  food  which  they 
had  put  into  wretched  dark  holes,  and  in  one,  as  he 
was  led  along,  he  saw  a  miserable  gaunt  man,  with 


Pirates.  227 

long  matted  hair,  put  out  a  lean  yellow  hand  to  take 
the  food.  This  information  made  me  hope  more  than 
ever  than  Van  Deck  was  right  in  his  suspicions,  for 
I  had  no  fancy  to  be  shut  up  in  a  dark  cell  for  months 
in  such  a  climate,  with  the  possibility  of  being  taken 
out  and  shot  as  a  spy.  Had  I  been  a  naval  or  mili- 
tary man  I  should  not  have  been  thus  treated. 
Several  very  unpleasant  days  and  nights  passed  by, 
a  scanty  allowance  of  coarse  food  only  being  brought 
to  me  and  my  young  companion. 

At  length,  one  day  the  sergeant  threw  open  my 
prison  door,  and  Van  Deck  appearing,  took  me  by 
the  hand  and  led  me  out  of  my  noisome  dungeon, 
followed  by  Jack,  who  gave  a  shout  of  joy  as  he 
found  himself  in  the  open  air. 

"  I  sent  to  Batavia,  where  your  ship  has  arrived, 
and  where  your  statement  was  fully  corroborated,  and 
the  commandant  had  therefore  no  further  excuse  for 
keeping  you  a  prisoner/'  said  my  friend.  "  But  there 
is  another  reason  why  he  would  not  venture  to  do 
so  much  longer.  Look  there  !  " 

He  pointed  seaward,  where  several  large  ships  were 
seen  approaching  the  land.  He  handed  me  a  glass. 
I  examined  them  eagerly ;  they  were  frigates,  with 
the  flag  of  Old  England  flying  at  their  peaks.  Jack, 
when  he  heard  this,  gave  a  loud  huzza,  and  threw  up 
his  cap  with  delight,  jumping  and  clapping  his  hands, 
and  committing  other  extravagances,  till  I  ordered 
him  to  be  quiet  lest  the  French  soldiers  should  put 
a  sudden  stop  to  the  exhibition  of  his  feelings. 


228  James  Braithwaite. 

The  frigates  approached  till  they  had  got  just 
within  long  gunshot  range  of  the  fort,  when  after 
some  time  a  boat  put  off  from  one  of  them  and  ap- 
proached the  fort,  bearing  a  flag  of  truce.  That  was, 
at  all  events,  pleasant.  There  was  a  chance  of  a  battle 
being  avoided,  yet  the  commandant  had  so  loudly  sworn 
that  nothing  should  make  him  yield  to  the  English 
that  I  was  afraid  he  might  be  obstinate  and  insist 
on  holding  out.  We  were  on  the  point  of  hurrying 
down  to  meet  the  boat,  when  a  sergeant  with  a  guard 
stopped  us  and  told  us  politely  enough  that  we  must 
stay  where  we  were,  or  that  Jack  and  I  must  go  back 
to  prison. 

"  We  must  obey  orders,"  observed  Van  Deck.  "The 
fact  is,  that  the  commandant  is  aware  that  you  are 
acquainted  with  the  weak  points  of  the  fort,  that 
the  gun-carriages  are  rotten,  and  many  of  the  guns 
are  themselves  honeycombed  or  dismounted." 

We  were  conducted  out  of  the  way  when  the  officer 
with  the  flag  of  truce  entered  the  fort.  Looking  from 
the  ramparts,  however,  we  could  see  the  boat  and  the 
people  in  her  through  Van  Deck's  glass,  and  a  young 
middy  was  amusing  himself,  so  it  appeared  to  me, 
by  daring  some  little  Dutch,  or  rather  native  boys 
to  come  off  and  fight  him,  which  they  seemed  in  no 
way  disposed  to  do,  for  whenever  he  held  up  his  fists 
they  ran  off  at  a  great  rate.  Of  one  thing  I  was  very 
sure,  that  if  the  French  commandant  did  not  yield 
with  a  good  grace  he  would  be  very  soon  compelled 
to  do  so.  That  squadron  of  frigates  had  not  come 


Pirate*.  229 

merely  to  give  a  civil  message  and  to  sail  away  again. 
We  walked  up  and  down,  impatiently  waiting  to  hear 
what  was  to  be  done. 

At  length,  after  an  hour's  delay,  the  officer  who 
had  brought  the  message — Captain  Warren,  of  the 
President — issued  from  the  commandant's  house  with 
his  coxswain  bearing  a  flag  under  his  arm.  Down 
came  the  tricolour  of  France,  and  up  went  the  glo- 
rious flag  of  England.  Jack  was  beside  himself  on 
seeing  this,  and  I  could  scarcely  refrain  from  joining 
in  his  " Hurra  !  hurra  I"  as  I  hurried  forward  to  meet 
the  English  captain,  whose  acquaintance  I  had  made 
at  the  Mauritius.  The  French  commandant  intimated, 
on  this,  that  I  was  at  liberty;  but  as  I  felt  it  would  be 
ungrateful  to  leave  my  friend  Van  Deck  abruptly,  I 
resolved  to  remain  on  shore  for  the  present  with  him. 

In  a  very  short  time  the  marines  came  on  shore  to 
secure  the  thus  easily  acquired  possession,  but  scarcely 
had  they  formed  on  the  beach  than  it  was  ascertained 
that  a  large  body  of  the  enemy  had  entered  the  town. 
The  order  was  given  to  charge  through  them,  and, 
taken  by  surprise,  the  French  and  Dutchmen  threw 
down  their  arms,  and  several  officers  and  others  were 
taken  prisoners.  Among  them  was  General  Jumel, 
second  in  command  to  General  Janssen,  and  Colonel 
Knotzer,  aide-de-camp  to  the  latter,  who  with  others 
were  at  once  carried  off  to  the  ships. 

Cheribon  I  found  to  be  a  much  larger  place  than 
I  at  first  supposed  ;  the  streets  are  narrow  but  numer- 
ous, and  in  the  outskirts  especially  the  houses  of  the 


230  James  Braithwaife. 

natives  are  so  completely  surrounded  by  trees  and 
bushes  that  it  is  impossible  to  calculate  their  number. 
I  heard  that  the  Phoebe  was  one  of  the  squadron,  and 
soon  had  the  satisfaction  of  shaking  hands  with  my 
brother  William,  Toby  Trundle,  and  other  officers 
belonging  to  her.  From  them  I  heard  a  full  account 
of  the  engagement  which  had  given  the  greater  part 
of  the  magnificent  island  of  Java  to  the  English.  I 
was  the  more  interested  as  my  military  brother  had 
taken  part  in  it,  and  distinguished  himself.  I  hoped 
to  meet  him  when  I  got  to  Batavia. 

The  army  which  was  commanded  by  Sir  Samuel 
Auchmuty,  consisting  of  11,000  men,  half  being 
Europeans,  disembarked  on  the  evening  of  the  5th  of 
August  at  the  village  of  Chillingchin,  twelve  miles 
north  of  Batavia.  Colonel  Gillespie  advanced  on  the 
city  of  Batavia,  of  which  he  took  possession,  and  beat 
off  the  enemy,  who  attempted  to  retake  it.  A  general 
engagement  took  place  on  the  10th  at  Welteureden, 
when  the  French  were  defeated  and  compelled  to 
retire  to  the  strongly  entrenched  camp  of  Cornelis. 
It  was  supposed  to  contain  250  pieces  of  cannon. 
Here  General  Janssen  commanded  in  person,  with 
General  Jumel,  a  Frenchman,  under  him,  with  an 
army  of  13,000  men.  Notwithstanding  this,  the 
forts  were  stormed  and  taken,  and  the  greater  number 
of  the  officers  captured.  The  commander-in-chief, 
with  General  Jumel,  escaped — the  latter,  as  I  have 
mentioned,  to  fall  very  soon  afterwards  into  our 
hands. 


Pirates.  23 1 

An  expedition,  consisting  of  marines  and  blue- 
jackets, was  now  organised  to  meet  a  body  of  the 
fugitive  army  said  to  be  marching  from  Cornelis.  As 
William  was  of  the  party,  I  got  leave  to  accompany 
it.  That  we  might  move  the  faster,  horses  had  been 
obtained,  and  both  marines  and  blue -jackets  were 
mounted — that  is  to  say,  they  had  horses  given  them 
to  ride,  but  as  the  animals,  though  small,  were  frisky 
and  untrained,  they  were  sent  very  frequently  sprawl- 
ing into  the  dust,  and  were  much  oftener  on  their  feet 
than  in  their  saddles.  Our  force,  as  we  advanced, 
certainly  presented  a  very  unmilitary  appearance, 
though  we  made  clatter  enough  for  a  dozen  regiments 
of  dragoons.  We  were  in  search  of  the  military  chest 
said  to  be  with  the  fugitives.  We  fell  in  with  a  large 
party,  who,  however,  having  had  fighting  enough, 
sent  forward  a  flag  of  truce  and  capitulated.  We  got 
possession,  however,  of  some  waggon-loads  of 'ingots, 
but  they  were  ingots  of  copper,  and  were  said  to  be  of 
so  little  value  in  the  country  as  to  have  been  fired  as 
grape-shot  from  Cornelis.  The  moon  shone  brightly 
forth  for  the  first  part  of  the  march,  but  no  sooner  did 
it  become  obscured  than  a  considerable  number  of  the 
marines  were  seized  with  a  temporary  defective  vision 
very  common  within  the  tropics,  called,  "  Nyctalopia," 
or  ni^ht  blindness.  The  attack  was  sudden ;  the 

O 

vision  seldom  became  totally  obscured,  but  so  indistinct 
that  the  shape  of  objects  could  not  be  distinguished. 
While  in  this  state  the  sufferers  had  to  be  led  by  their 
comrades.  With  some  it  lasted  more  than  an  hour, 


232  James  Braithwaite. 

with  others  cot  more  than  twenty  minutes,  and  on  the 
af  proach  of  day  all  traces  of  it  had  disappeared. 

On  our  march,  during  the  heat  of  the  day,  we  passed 
through  a  wood,  every  tree  in  which  seemed  to  have 
been  blasted  by  lightning.  Not  a  branch  nor  leaf  re- 
mained to  afford  us  shelter  from  the  scorching  rays 
of  the  sun.  Had  I  not  known  that  the  story  of  the 
noxious  effects  produced  by  the  upas-tree  was  a  fiction, 
I  might  have  supposed  that  the  destruction  had  been 
caused  by  a  blast  passing  amid  the  boughs  of  one  of 
those  so-called  death-dealing  trees  in  the  neighbour- 
hood. Probably  the  forest  had  been  destroyed  partly 
by  lightning  and  partly  by  the  conflagration  it  had 
caused. 

On  returning  to  Cheribon,  I  found  that  my  friend 
Van  Deck  was  anxious  to  proceed  to  Batavia,  and  I 
was  fortunate  in  being  able  to  procure  him  a  passage 
on  board  the  Phcebe,  which  was  going  there  at  once. 

"  Well,  Braithwaite,  I  shall  never  despair  of  your 
turning  up  safe  ! "  exclaimed  Captain  Hassall,  shaking 
my  hand  warmly  as  I  stepped  on  the  deck  of  the  Bar- 
bara. "You  saved  the  ship  and  cargo  by  your 
promptness,  for  had  I  not  got  your  message  by  young 
Jack  there  I  should  have  been  captured  to  a  certainty. 
Garrard,  Janrin  and  Co.  have  reason  to  be  grateful  to 
you,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  they  will  be  so." 

Everybody  knows  that  Batavia  is  a  large  Dutch 
town  built  in  the  tropics — that  is  to  say,  it  has  broad 
streets,  with  rows  of  trees  in  them,  and  canals  in  the 
centre  of  stagnant  water,  full  of  filth,  and  surrounded 


Pirates.  233 

by  miasma-exuding  marshes.  But  the  neighbourhood 
is  healthy,  and  the  merchants  and  officials  mostly  only 
come  into  the  town  in  the  daytime,  and  return  to  their 
country  houses  at  night.  Some  seasons  are  worse 
than  others,  nobody  knows  why.  Captain  Cook  was 
there  on  his  first  voyage  round  the  world  during  a 
very  bad  one,  and,  in  spite  of  all  his  care,  lost  a  number 
of  people.  We  were  more  fortunate,  but  did  not 
escape  without  some  sickness. 

Captain  Hassall  had  disposed  of  most  of  that  portion 
of  our  cargo  suited  for  the  Batavian  market,  so  that  I 
soon  got  rid  of  the  rest.  I  then  made  arrangements 
for  the  purchase  of  sugar,  tea,  coffee,  spices,  and  several 
other  commodities  which  I  believed  would  sell  well  at 
Sydney,  to  which  place  we  proposed  to  proceed,  touch- 
ing at  a  few  other  points  perhaps  on  our  way. 

The  articles  had,  however,  first  to  be  collected,  as 
the  army  had  consumed  the  greater  portion  in  store  at 
Batavia.  Part  of  the  purchase  I  made  from  a  brother 
of  my  friend  Van  Deck.  He  was  On  the  point  of  sail- 
ing in  a  brig  he  owned  along  the  coast  to  collect  pro- 
duce, and  invited  me  to  accompany  him.  I  gladly 
accepted  his  offer,  as  the  Barbara  could  not  sail  till 
his  return. 

In  those  days,  as  well,  indeed,  as  from  the  memory 
of  man,  these  seas  swarmed  with  pirates,  many  of  whom 
had  their  headquarters  on  the  coast  of  Borneo.  Among 
them  was  a  chief,  or  rajah,  named  Raga,  notorious  for 
the  boldness  and  success  of  his  undertakings.  We, 
however,  believed  that  with  so  many  British  men-of- 


234  James  Braithwaile. 

war  about  he  would  seek  some  more  distant  field  for 
his  operations.  The  harbour  was  full  of  native  craft  of 
all  sorts.  Of  the  native  prahus  alone  there  are  many 
varieties,  some  built  after  European  models,  and  carry- 
ing sails  similar  to  those  of  our  English  luggers. 
Others  are  of  native  construction,  with  lateen  sails; 
and  many,  built  with  high  stems  and  sterns,  have  the 
square  mat-sail,  such  as  impels  the  Batavian  fishing 
prahus.  Of  course,  among  so  many  craft  a  pirate  chief 
could  easily  find  spies  ready  to  give  him  information 
of  all  that  was  going  forward.  However,  we  troubled 
our  heads  very  little  about  the  pirates. 

By-the-bye,  I  have  not  said  anything  about  the 
alligators  of  Java,  which  are,  I  believe,  larger  than  in 
any  other  part  of  the  world.  The  Government  will  not 
allow  those  in  the  harbour  of  Batavia  to  be  disturbed, 
as  they  act  the  part  of  scavengers  by  eating  up  the 
garbage  which  floats  on  the  water,  and  might  other- 
wise produce  a  pestilence.  I  often  passed  them  float- 
ing on  the  surface,  and  snapping  at  the  morsels  which 
came  in  their  way,  quite  indifferent  to  the  boats  going 
to  and  fro  close  to  them.  Captain  Beaver,  of  the 
Visits  frigate,  described  to  me  one  he  saw  in  another 
part  of  the  island  when  on  an  exploring  expedition. 
It  was  first  discovered  basking  on  a  mud-bank,  and 
neither  he  nor  the  officers  with  him  would  believe  that 
it  was  an  animal,  but  thought  at  first  that  it  was  the 
huge  trunk  of  a  tree.  At  the  lowest  computation  it 
was  forty  feet  in  length.  The  circumference  of  the 
thickest  part  of  the  body  seemed  nearly  that  of  a 


Pirates.  235 

bullock,  and  this  continued  for  about  double  the  length. 
The  extent  of  the  jaws  was  calculated  to  be  at  least 
eight  feet.  The  eyes  glistened  like  two  large  emeralds, 
but  with  a  lustre  which  nothing  inanimate  could  ex- 
press. The  officers  examined  it  through  their  glasses, 
and  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  asleep,  but  the 
native  guides  assured  them  that  it  was  not.  To  prove 
this,  one  of  them  fearlessly  leaped  on  shore  and  ap- 
proached the  creature,  when  it  glided  into  the  water, 
creating  a  commotion  like  that  produced  by  the  launch 
of  a  small  vessel. 

I  bade  farewell  to  William  and  my  friends  of  the 
Phoebe,  not  without  some  sadness  at  my  heart.  In 
those  time  of  active  warfare  it  might  be  we  should 
never  meet  again.  Of  my  soldier  brother  I  got  but  a 
hurried  glimpse  before  he  embarked  on  an  expedi- 
tion which  was  sent  to  capture  Sourabaya,  at  the 
other  end  of  the  island.  A  few  words  of  greeting,  and 
inquiries  and  remarks,  a  warm  long  grasp  of  hands, 
and  we  parted.  Directly  I  stepped  on  board  Van 
Deck's  brig  the  Theodora,  the  anchor  was  weighed, 
and  we  stood  out  of  the  harbour  with  a  strong  land 
breeze.  The  easterly  monsoon  which  prevailed  was 
in  our  teeth,  so  that  we  were  only  able  to  progress  by 
taking  advantage  of  the  land  and  sea  breezes.  The 

o  o 

land  breeze  commenced  about  midnight,  and  as  it  blew 
directly  from  the  shore,  we  were  able  to  steer  our  course 
the  greater  part  of  the  night ;  but  after  sunrise  the 
wind  always  drew  round  to  the  eastward,  and  we  were 
consequently  forced  off  the  shore.  The  anchor  was 


236  James  Braithivaite. 

then  dropped  till  towards  noon,  when  the  sea  breeze 
set  in.  Again  we  weighed,  and  stood  towards  the 
shore,  as  near  as  possible  to  which  we  anchored,  and 
waited  for  the  land  breeze  at  night. 

We  had  thus  slowly  proceeded  for  three  or  four  days, 
having  called  off  two  estates  for  cargo,  when,  as  we  lay 
at  anchor,  a  fleet  of  five  or  six  prahus  was  seen  stand- 
ing towards  us  with  the  sea  breeze,  which  had  not  yet 
filled  our  sails.  Van  Deck,  after  examining  them 
through  his  glass,  said  that  he  did  not  at  all  like  their 
appearance,  and  that  he  feared  they  intended  us  no 
good.  On  they  came,  still  directly  for  us.  We  got  up 
all  the  arms  on  deck  and  distributed  them  to  the  crew, 
who,  to  the  number  of  thirty,  promised  to  fight  to  the 
last.  Then  we  weighed  anchor  and  made  sail,  ready 
for  the  breeze.  It  came  at  last,  but  not  till  the  prahus 
were  close  up  to  us.  Under  sail  we  were  more  likely 
to  beat  them  off  than  at  anchor.  They  soon  swarmed 
round  us,  but  their  courage  was  damped  by  the  sight 
of  our  muskets  and  guns.  Of  their  character,  however, 
we  had  not  a  shadow  of  doubt.  After  a  short  time  of 
most  painful  suspense  to  us  they  lowered  their  sails 
and  allowed  us  to  sail  on  towards  the  shore.  Here  we 
anchored,  as  usual,  to  wait  for  the  land  breeze.  Had 
there  been  a  harbour,  we  would  gladly  have  taken 
shelter  within  it,  for  the  merchant,  the  elder  Van 
Deck,  said  that  he  knew  the  pirates  too  well,  and  that 
they  might  still  be  waiting  for  an  opportunity  to  attack 
us.  There  was,  however,  no  harbour,  and  so  we  had 
to  wait  in  our  exposed  situation,  in  the  full  belief  that 


Pirates.  237 

'the  pirates  were  still  in  the  offing,  and  might  any 
moment  pounce  down  upon  us.  The  Van  Decks  agreed 
that  we  might  beat  them  off,  but  that  if  they  should 
gain  the  upper  hand  they  would  murder  every  one 
on  board  the  vessel.  "  We  might  abandon  the  vessel 
and  so  escape  any  risk,"  observed  the  merchant — not 
in  a  tone  as  if  he  intended  to  do  so.  "  You,  at  all  events, 
Mr.  Braithwaite,  can  be  landed,  and  you  can  easily  get 
back  to  Batavia."  Against  this  proposal  of  course  my 
manhood  rebelled,  though  I  had  a  presentiment,  if  I 
may  use  the  expression,  that  we  should  be  attacked. 
"  No,  no  !  I  will  stay  by  you  and  share  your  fate,  what- 
ever that  may  be,"  I  replied.  Night  came  on,  and 
darkness  hid  all  distant  objects  from  view. 

We  were  in  the  handsome,  well-fitted-up  cabin,  en- 
joying our  evening  meal,  when  the  mate,  a  Javanese, 
put  his  head  down  the  skylight  and  said  some  words 
in  his  native  tongue,  which  made  the  Dutchmen  start 
from  their  seats,  and,  seizing  their  pistols  and  swords, 
rush  on  deck.  I  had  no  difficulty,  when  I  followed 
them,  in  interpreting  what  had  been  said.  The  pirate 
prahus  were  close  upon  us. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

MUTINY  ON  BOARD   THE  "BARBARA." 

"YTTE  have  learned  from  the  sad  experience  of  cen- 
*  *  turies  that  nominal  Christianity,  which  men 
call  religion,  is  utterly  powerless  to  stop  warfare ;  it 
may,  in  a  few  instances,  have  lessened  some  of  its 
horrors,  but  only  a  few.  The  annals  of  the  wars  which 
have  taken  place  for  the  last  three  hundred  years  since 
the  world  has  improved  in  civilization,  show  that 
nations  rush  into  war  as  eagerly  as  ever,  and  that 
cruelties  and  abominations  of  all  sorts,  such  as  the 
fiercest  savages  cannot  surpass,  are  committed  by  men 
who  profess  to  be  Christians.  Read  the  accounts  of  the 
wars  of  the  Duke  of  Alva  and  his  successors  in  the 
Netherlands,  the  civil  wars  of  France,  the  foreign  wars 
of  Napoleon,  the  deeds  of  horror  done  at  the  storming 
and  capture  of  towns  during  the  war  in  the  Peninsula, 
not  only  by  Frenchmen  and  Spaniards,  but  by  the 
British  soldiers,  and  indeed  the  accounts  of  all  the 
wars  in  the  pages  of  history,  and  we  shall  learn  what 
a  fearful  and  dreadful  thing  war  is,  and  strive  to  assist 
the  spread  of  the  true  principles  of  the  Gospel  as  the 
only  means  of  putting  a  stop  to  it. 

Such  thoughts   as   these   had  been   occupying   my 


Mutiny  on  Board  the  "Barbara"      239 

mind  on  board  the  brig,  on  the  morning  of  that  event- 
ful day  of  which  I  have  just  been  speaking.  Here 
was  I,  a  peace-loving  man,  engaged  in  a  peaceable 
occupation,  and  yet  finding  myself  continually  in  the 
midst  of  fighting,  and  now  there  was  every  probability 
of  my  having  to  engage  in  a  desperate  battle,  the  ter- 
mination of  which  it  was  impossible  to  foretell.  As 
I  reached  the  deck  I  could  see  a  number  of  dark 
phantom-looking  objects  gliding  slowly  over  the  water 
towards  us  almost  noiselessly,  the  only  sound  heard 
being  that  produced  by  their  oars  as  they  dipped  into 
the  water.  The  pirates,  for  such  we  were  still  certain 
they  must  be,  expected,  perhaps,  to  find  us  asleep. 
The  guns  were  loaded  and  run  out  as  before.  The 
men  stood  with  their  muskets  in  their  hands,  and 
pikes  and  cutlasses  ready  for  use.  The  strangers  drew 
closer  and  closer.  They  still  hoped,  we  concluded,  to 
catch  us  unprepared.  We,  however,  did  not  wish  to 
begin  the  combat  unless  they  gave  us  indubitable 
signs  of  their  intentions. 

The  elder  Van  Deck,  who  had,  I  found,  been  a  naval 
man,  took  the  command,  and  everybody  on  board 
looked  up  to  him.  We  were  not  left  long  in  doubt 
that  the  strangers  were  pirates,  and  purposed  to 
destroy  us.  Not,  however,  till  they  "were  close  to  us 
with  the  evident  intention  of  boarding  did  our  chief 
give  the  order  to  fire.  The  effect  was  to  make  them 
sheer  off,  but  only  for  a  moment.  Directly  afterwards 
they  arranged  themselves  on  our  starboard  bow  and 
quarter,  and  commenced  a  fire  with  girigalls,  match- 


240  James  Braithwaite. 

locks,  and  guns  of  various  sorts,  sending  missiles  of  all 
shapes  and  sizes  on  board  us.  Our  men  kept  firing 
away  bravely,  but  in  a  short  time,  so  rapid  was  the 
fire  kept  up  on  us,  that  three  or  four  were  killed  and 
several  wounded.  I  was  standing  near  the  brave 
Dutchman  when  a  dart  shot  from  a  gun  struck  him, 
and  he  fell  to  the  deck.  I  ran  to  raise  him  up,  but 
he  had  ceased  to  breathe.  His  death  soon  becoming 
known  among  the  crew,  their  fire  visibly  slackened. 
The  pirates  probably  perceived  this,  and  with  fearful 
cries  came  dashing  alongside.  The  Javanese  are  brave 
fellows,  and  though  they  knew  that  death  awaited 
them,  they  drew  their  swords  and  daggers  and  met 
the  enemy  as  they  sprang  upon  our  deck.  On  came 
the  pirates  in  overwhelming  numbers,  their  sharp 
kreeses  making  fearful  havoc  among  our  poor  fellows. 
I  saw  that  all  was  lost.  I  was  still  unwounded. 
Rather  than  fall  alive  into  the  hands  of  the  pirates, 
as  with  the  survivors  of  the  crew  I  was  driven  across 
the  deck,  I  determined  to  leap  overboard,  and  endea- 
vour to  swim  to  land.  That  was  not  a  moment  for 
considering  the  distance  or  the  dangers  to  be  en- 
countered. Death  was  certain  if  I  remained  in  the 
ship.  Unnoticed  by  the  enemy,  I  threw  myself  over- 
board, and  struck  out  in  the  direction,  as  I  believed, 
of  the  shore.  I  was  a  good  swimmer,  but  light  as 
were  my  clothes,  I  was  not  aware  of  the  impediment 
they  would  prove  to  me.  Already  I  was  beginning 
to  grow  tired,  and  to  feel  that  I  could  not  reach  the 
shore.  Yet  Jife  was  sweet,  very  sweet,  in  prospect. 


Mutiny  on  Board  the  "Barbara"      241 

I  prayed  for  strength,  and  resolved  to  struggle  on  as 
long  as  I  could  move  an  arm.  I  threw  myself  on  my 
back  to  float.  I  could  see  the  brig,  at  no  great  dis- 
tance, surrounded  by  the  prahus.  All  sounds  of  strife 
had  ceased.  Only  the  confused  murmurs  of  many 
tongues  moving  at  once  reached  my  ears.  Now  that 
I  had  ceased  for  a  few  minutes  to  exert  myself,  two 
fearful  ideas  occurred  to  me :  one,  that  I  might  be 
swimming  from  the  land,  the  other,  that  at  any 
moment  a  shark  might  seize  me  and  carry  me  to  the 
depths  below.  Had  I  allowed  my  mind  to  dwell  on 
these  ideas,  I  should  speedily  have  lost  courage,  but 
instead  I  had  recourse  to  the  only  means  by  which, 
under  similar  trials  and  dangers,  a  man  can  hope  to 
be  supported.  I  turned  my  thoughts  upwards,  and 
prayed  earnestly  for  protection  and  deliverance. 

I  was  striking  out  gently  with  my  feet  to  keep  my- 
self moving  through  the  water  when  my  head  struck 
something  floating  on  the  surface.  I  turned  round, 
and  found  that  it  was  one  of  the  long  bamboo  buoys 
employed  by  the  native  fishermen  on  the  coast  to  mark 
where  their  nets,  or  fish  traps,  are  placed.  They  are 
very  long  and  buoyant,  and  capable  of  supporting 
more  than  one  man  with  ease.  I  threw  my  arms  over 
the  one  I  had  found,  and  was  grateful  that  I  had  thus 
found  an  object  by  means  of  which  my  life  might 
possibly  be  preserved. 

I  looked  round  me ;  the  prahus  and  brig  were  still 
to  be  seen,  but  after  watching  them  for  some  time,  they 
appeared  to  be  drifting  away  with  the  faint  land  breeze 

16 


242  James  Braithwaite. 

from  the  spot  where  I  lay.  Thus  was  the  danger  of 
being  seen  by  them  at  daylight  lessened.  Hitherto  I 
had  feared,  among  other  things,  should  I  be  unable  to 
swim  on  shore,  that  when  the  pirates  discovered  me 
in  the  morning  they  would  send  a  boat  and  give  me  a 
quieting  knock  on  the  head.  Still  my  position  was 
a  very  dreadful  one.  Any  moment  a  passing  shark 
might  seize  hold  of  me ;  that  I  escaped  was  owing,  I 
think,  humanly  speaking,  to  my  having  on  dark 
clothes,  and  my  having  kept  constantly  splashing 
with  my  legs.  I  was  afraid  of  resting,  also,  lest  I 
should  lose  consciousness,  and,  letting  go  my  hold  of 
the  bamboo,  be  swept  away  by  the  tide. 

At  length,  when  my  legs  became  weary  of  moving 
about,  I  thought  that  I  would  try  the  effect  of  my 
voice  in  keeping  the  sharks  at  a  distance.  I  first 
ascertained  that  the  pirate  prahus  had  drifted  to  such 
a  distance  that  I  was  not  likely  to  be  heard  by  them, 
then  I  began  shouting  away  at  the  top  of  my  voice. 

What  was  my  surprise,  as  soon  as  I  stopped,  to  hear 
an  answer  !  For  a  moment  I  fancied  that  it  must  be 
some  mockery  of  my  imagination  ;  then  again  I  heard 
the  voice  say,  "  What,  Braithwaite  !  is  that  you  ? " 

It  must  be,  I  knew,  my  friend  Van  Deck  who 
spoke,  yet  the  voice  sounded  hollow  and  strange, 
very  unlike  his. 

I  can  scarcely  describe  the  relief  I  felt  at  discover- 
ing, in  the  first  place  that  my  friend  had  escaped,  and 
then  on  finding  that  a  civilized  human  being  was  near 
me.  I  could  not  tell  whether  he  knew  that  his  brother 


Mutiny  on  Board  the  "Barbara"      243 

was  killed.  I  did  not  allude  to  the  subject.  We  did 
our  best  to  encourage  each  other.  We /would  gladly 
have  got  nearer  together  to  talk  with  more  ease,  but 
were  afraid  of  letting  go  our  hold  of  the  support,  frail 
though  it  seemed,  to  which  we  clung.  Van  Deck  en- 
couraged me  by  the  assurance  that  it  would  soon  be 
daylight,  and  that  at  early  dawn  the  fishermen  would 
come  off  to  examine  the  nets. 

"  They  bear  the  Dutch,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  no  good 
will,"  he  observed.  "We  are  accused  too  justly  of 
laying  the  produce  of  their  industry  under  tribute  ; 
but  they  will  respect  you  as  an  Englishman,  and  for 
your  sake  save  the  lives  of  both  of  us.  Till  I  found 
that  you  had  escaped  I  was  very  anxious  on  that 
score." 

As  I  have  said,  we  talked  continually,  for  silence 
was  painful,  as  I  could  not  tell  when  my  companion's 
voice  was  silent  whether  he  had  been  drawn  down 
suddenly  by  a  shark,  or  had  sunk  overcome  by  fatigue. 
Even  with  conversation  kept  up  in  this  way  the  time 
passed  very  slowly  by.  How  much  worse  off  I  should 
have  been  alone  !  At  length  Van  Deck  exclaimed 
that  he  saw  the  dawn  breaking  in  the  sky.  Rapidly 
after  this  objects  became  more  and  more  distinct ;  the 
tall  bamboo  buoys,  with  their  tufts  of  dry  grass  at  the 
top,  floating  on  the  glassy  water;  then  I  could  distin- 
guish my  companion's  head  and  shoulders  just  above 
the  surface ;  and  the  land  about  two  miles  off,  on 
which,  however,  a  surf  broke  which  would  have  made 
landing  difficult,  if  not  dangerous.  The  tall  trees  and 


244  James  Braithwaite. 

the  mountains,   range   above   range,   seemed   to   rise 
directly  out  of  it. 

Soon  the  fishermen's  voices,  as  they  pulled  out, 
singing  in  chorus,  towards  their  buo}Ts,  greeted  our 
ears.  Two  boats  came  close  to  us.  The  fishermen 
exhibited  much  surprise  at  finding  us,  but  instead  ol 
at  once  coming  up  and  taking  us  on  board,  they  lay 
on  their  oars,  and  appeared  to  be  consulting  what  they 
should  do  with  the  strangers.  How  the  discussion 
might  have  terminated  seemed  doubtful,  had  not  Van 
Deck  told  them  that  I  was  an  Englishman,  whose 
countrymen  had  just  conquered  the  island;  that  he  was 
my  friend  ;  and  that  if  any  harm  happened  to  us  my 
people  would  come  and  cut  off  all  the  people  in  the  dis- 
trict, whereas  if  we  were  well  treated  they  would  be 
munificently  rewarded.  This  address,  which,  taken  in 
its  oriental  meaning,  was  literally  true,  had  the  desired 
effect;  one  of  the  boats  approached  me.  Immediately 
that  I  was  in  the  boat  I  fainted,  and  I  believe  that 
my  friend  was  much  in  the  same  condition.  He,  how- 
ever, quickly  recovered,  and  by  the  promise  of  an 
increased  reward  induced  the  fishermen  to  return  at 
once  to  the  shore.  I  did  not  return  to  consciousness 
till  I  found  myself  being  lifted  out  of  the  boat  and 
placed  on  a  litter  of  wicker-work.  Van  Deck  was 
carried  in  the  same  way,  as  he  was  too  weak  to  walk. 
We  were  thus  conveyed  to  the  house  of  a  chief,  who 
resided  not  far  from  the  shore,  built  on  the  summit  of 
a  rising  ground  overlooking  the  sea. 

The  chief,  who  was  every  inch  a  gentleman,  received 


Mutiny  on  Board  the  "Barbara"      245 

us  with  the  greatest  hospitality,  and,  seeing  what  we 
most  required,  had  us  both  put  into  clean,  comfortable 
beds  in  a  large  airy  room,  where,  after  we  had  taken  a 
few  cups  of  hot  coffee,  we  fell  asleep,  and  did  not  awake 
again  till  the  evening.  Our  host  had  then  a  sump- 
tuous repast  ready  for  us,  of  which  by  that  time  we 
were  pretty  well  capable  of  partaking.  Poor  Van 
Deck  was  naturally  very  much  out  of  spirits  at  the 
loss  of  his  brother,  but  the  necassity  of  interpreting 
for  me  kept  him  from  dwelling  on  his  own  grief. 

At  the  time  of  which  I  have  hitherto  been  speaking, 
when  I  was  in  the  east,  the  spot  on  which  Singapore, 
with  its  streets  of  stone  palaces,  its  superb  public 
edifices  and  rich  warehouses,  now  stands,  was  a  sandy 
flat,  with  a  few  straggling  huts  inhabited  by  fishermen 
or  pirates.  I  am  about  to  give  a  piece  of  history 
posterior  to  my  voyage  as  a  supercargo.  After  the 
peace  of  1814,  when  Java  and  its  dependencies  were 
given  up  to  the  Dutch,  their  first  act  was  to  impose 
restrictions  on  British  commerce  in  the  Archipelago. 
They  were  enabled  to  effect  this  object  from  the 
position  of  their  settlements,  those  in  the  Straits  of 
Malacca  and  Sunda  commanding  all  the  western  en- 
trances to  the  China  and  Java  seas,  and  it  therefore 
became  evident  that,  without  some  effort  to  destroy 
their  monopolies,  the  sale  of  British  manufactures  in 
the  eastern  islands  would  soon  cease.  Sir  Stamford 
Raffles,  who  was  at  that  time  Governor  of  Bencoolen, 
represented  the  case  so  strongly  to  the  Supreme 
Government  at  Bengal  that  the  governor-general  gave' 


246  James  Braithwaite. 

him  the  permission  he  asked  to  make  a  settlement 
near  the  north-east  entrance  of  the  Straits  of  Malacca. 
He  accordingly,  in  the  year  1819,  fixed  on  Singapore, 
which  stands  on  the  south  side  of  an  island,  about 
sixty  miles  in  circumference,  separated  by  a  narrow 
strait  from  the  Malay  peninsula.  Of  course  the  esta- 
blishment was  opposed  by  the  Dutch,  who  so  strenu- 
ously remonstrated  with  the  British  Government  that 
the  latter  declined  having  anything  to  do  with  it,  and 
threw  the  whole  responsibility  on  Sir  Stamford  Raffles. 
It  was  not  until  it  had  been  established  for  three 
years — in  the  last  of  which  the  trade  was  already 
estimated  at  several  millions  of  dollars — that  Singa- 
pore was  recognised  by  Great  Britain. 

After  a  rest  of  a  couple  of  days,  poor  Van  Deck  and 
I  were  sufficiently  recovered  to  commence  our  journey 
back  to  Batavia.  He  was  anxious  to  be  there  that  he 
might  take  charge  of  his  late  brother's  affairs — I,  that 
I  might  report  the  loss  of  the  brig,  and  make  fresh 
arrangements  for  securing  a  cargo  for  Sydney.  We 
met  with  no  adventures  worthy  of  note  on  our 
journey. 

On  our  return  to  Batavia  much  sympathy  was  ex- 
cited for  my  friend  Van  Deck  among  the  merchants  at 
the  loss  of  his  brother,  and  the  naval  commander-in- 
chief,  returning  soon  after  from  Sourabaya,  dispatched 
two  frigates  and  a  brig  of  war  in  search  of  the  pirates. 
They  were  supposed  to  belong  to  some  place  on  the 
coast  of  Borneo,  which  has  for  many  years  abounded 
with  nests  of  these  desperadoes.  The  fleet  in  question 


Mutiny  on  Board  the  "Barbara"      247 

was  supposed  to  belong  to  a  famous  chief,  the  very 
idol  of  his  followers  on  account  of  the  success  of  his 
expeditions.  His  title  was  the  Rajah  Raga,  and  he 
was  brother  to  the  Sultan  Coti,  a  potentate  of  Borneo. 
The  Raja  Raga  had  subsequently  some  wonderful 
escapes,  for  he  probably  got  due  notice  that  an  English 
squadron  was  looking  after  him,  and  took  good  care 
to  keep  out  of  their  way.  He  was  afterwards  cruising 
with  three  large  prahus,  when  he  fell  in  with  an 
English  sloop-of-war,  which  he  was  compelled  to  en- 
gage. Two  of  his  prahus,  by  placing  themselves  be- 
tween him  and  the  enemy,  held  her  in  check  a  sufficient 
time  to  enable  him  to  escape,  and  were  themselves 
then  sent  to  the  bottom  ;  indeed,  they  must  have 
expected  no  other  fate. 

On  another  occasion  the  rajah  remained  on  shore, 
but  sent  his  own  prahu,  which  carried  upwards  of  a 
hundred  and  fifty  men  and  several  large  guns,  on  a 
cruise,  under  the  command  of  his  favourite  panglima, 
or  captain.  Falling  in  after  some  time  with  a  brig 
merchantman,  as  he  supposed,  and  wishing  to  distin- 
guish himself  by  her  capture,  he  fired  into  her,  and 
made  preparations  to  board.  Great  was  his  dismay 
when  he  saw  a  line  of  ports  open  in  the  side  of  his 
expected  prize,  and  he  found  himself  under  the  guns 
of  a  British  man-of-war.  The  panglima  hailed,  and 
with  many  apologies  tried  to  make  it  appear  that  he 
had  acted  under  a  misapprehension,  but  his  subterfuge 
was  of  no  avail ;  a  broadside  from  the  man-of-war  sent 
his  vessel  at  once  to  the  bottom,  and  he  and  all  his 


248  James  Braithwaite. 

crew  perished,  with  the  exception  of  two  or  three  who, 
clinging  to  a  piece  of  the  wreck,  were  picked  up  by  a 
native  craft,  and  carried  an  account  of  the  disaster  to 
their  chief. 

Piracy  had  been  the  bane  of  these  seas  for  years. 

We  were  fortunate  in  obtaining  the  full  amount  of 
the  goods  we  required  without  having  to  wait  much 
longer  at  Batavia.  There  is  an  old  proverb,  "  It  is  an 
ill  wind  that  blows  no  one  good."  The  vessel  for 
which  they  were  intended  had  lost  her  master  and 
both  mates  by  sickness,  and  the  merchant  therefore 
sold  them  to  me.  We  had  not  altogether  escaped,  and 
several  of  our  men  who  were  perfectly  healthy  when 
we  entered  the  harbour  fell  victims  to  the  fever 
engendered  by  the  pestiferous  climate.  We  were  com- 
pelled to  fill  up  their  places  with  others,  who  after- 
wards gave  us  much  trouble. 

It  was  with  sincere  regret  I  parted  from  my  friend 
Van  Deck.  I  was  glad,  however,  to  find  that  he  was 
likely  to  obtain  employment  suited  to  his  talents 
under  the  English  Government.  The  most  direct 
course  for  New  South  Wales  would  have  been  through 
Torres  Straits,  but  the  east  trade  wind  still  blowing, 
compelled  us  to  take  the  longer  route  round  the  south 
of  New  Holland,  and  through  Bass's  Straits,  not  many 
years  before  discovered,  between  that  vast  island  and 
the  smaller  one  of  Van  Diemen's  Land.  A  northerly 
breeze  at  length  coming  on,  enabled  us  to  sight  the 
south-west  point  of  New  Holland,  and  thence  we 
sailed  along  the  coast,  occasionally  seeing  tall  columns 


Mutiny  on  Board  the  "Barbara"      249 

of  smoke  ascending  from  the  wood,  showing  the  pre- 
sence of  natives. 

On  approaching  Bass's  Straits,  the  captain  was  one 
day  expressing  his  regret  to  me  that  we  had  not  time 
to  anchor  off'  one  of  the  islands  in  it  to  catch  seals, 
great  numbers  of  which  animals  frequented  the  place 
in  those  days.  He  had  known,  he  remarked,  con- 
siderable sums  made  in  that  way  in  a  very  short  time. 
Our  conversation,  it  appeared,  was  overheard  by  one 
of  the  men  we  had  shipped  at  Batavia.  We  had  had 
a  good  deal  of  insubordination  among  the  crew  since 
we  left  that  place,  and  we  traced  it  all  to  that  man, 
Miles  Badham,  as  he  called  himself.  He  was  about 
thirty,  very  plausible  and  insinuating  in  his  manner, 
a  regular  sea-lawyer,  a  character  very  dangerous  -on 
board  ship,  and  greatly  disliked  by  most  captains. 
He  had  managed  to  gain  a  considerable  influence  over 
the  crew,  especially  the  younger  portion.  His  ap- 
pearance was  in  his  favour,  and  in  spite  of  the  qualities 
I  have  mentioned,  I  would  not  have  supposed  him 
capable  of  the  acts  of  atrocity  which  were  with  good 
reason  laid  to  his  charge.  Ben  Stubbs,  the  second 
mate,  had  charge  of  the  deck  one  night,  and,  unable 
to  sleep,  I  was  taking  a  turn  with  him,  when  Mr. 
G wynne,  the  surgeon,  came  up  to  us. 

"  There  is  something  wrong  going  on  among  the 
people  below,"  he  whispered.  "I  cannot  make  out 
what  it  is  exactly,  but  if  we  do  not  look  out  we  may 
possibly  all  have  our  throats  cut  before  morning." 

"You  must  have  been  dreaming,  G  wynne,"  answered 


250  James   Braithwaite. 

Stubbs  ;  "  there  isn't  a  man  in  the  ship  would  dare  do 
such  a  tiling." 

"  I  am  not  certain  of  that,"  I  observed  ;  "  at  all 
events,  let  us  be  on  the  right  side.  Fore-warned,  fore- 
armed. We  will  let  the  captain  know,  and  I  trust 
thatwe  may  thus  defeat  the  plot,  whatever  it  is." 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

HOME    AGAIN! 

WENT  down  into  the  captain's  cabin,  and,  awaken- 
ing him,  told  him  what  the  surgeon  had  said. 
/'Mutiny!"   he   exclaimed,   as   he    dressed   himself 
with  the  usual  rapidity  of  a  seaman.     "  We  will  soon 
settle  that  matter."     He  stuck  his  pistols  into  a  belt 
he  put  on  for  the  purpose,  and  took  a  cutlass  in  his 
hand.      "  Here,  Braithwaite,   arm   yourself,"  he   said. 
"  Tell  the  officers  to  do  so  likewise.     We  will  soon  see 
which  of  the  two,  that  sea-lawyer  or  I,  is  to  command 
the  Barbara." 

Telling  Gwynne  and  Toby  to  guard  the  arm-chest, 
and  Randolph  to  rally  round  him  the  most  trustworthy 
men  on  deck,  he  desired  Stubbs  and  me  to  follow  him 
forward.  Without  a  word  of  warning  he  suddenly 
appeared  among  the  men,  who  were  supposed  to  be  in. 
their  berths  asleep.  Going  directly  up  to  the  berth 
Badham.  occupied,  he  seized  hold  of  him  and  dragged 
him  on  deck,  with  a  pistol  pointed  at  his  head,  exclaim- 
ing at  the  same  time,  "  Shoot  any  one  who  offers  to 
interfere ! " 

The  captain  was  very  confident  that  he  had  the 
ringleader,  and  that  the  rest  would  not  move  without 


252  James  Braithwaite* 

him.  "Now!"  he  exclaimed,  when  he  had  got  him 
on  the  quarterdeck.  "Confess  who  are  your  accom- 
plices, and  what  you  intended  to  do  !  Remember,  no 
falsehood  !  I  shall  cross- question  the  others.  If  you 
are  obstinate,  overboard  you  go/' 

Badham,  surprised  by  the  sudden  seizure,  and  con- 
fused, was  completely  cowed.  In  an  abject  tone  he 
whined  out,  "  Spare  my  life,  sir,  and  I  will  tell  you 
all." 

"  Out  with  it  then  ! "  answered  the  captain.  "  We 
have  no  time  to  spare." 

"Well,  sir,  then  I  will  tell  you  all.  We  didn't 
intend  to  injure  any  one,  that  we  didn't,  believe  me, 
sir ;  but  some  of  us  didn't  want  to  go  back  to  Sydney, 
so  we  agreed  that  we  would  just  wreck  the  ship,  and 
as  there  are  plenty  of  seals  to  be  got  hereabouts,  go 
sealing  on  our  own  account,  and  sell  the  oil  and  skins 
to  the  ships  passing  through  the  straits,  and,  when  we 
should  get  tired  of  the  work,  go  home  in  one  of  them." 

"  And  so,  for  the  sake  of  gaining  a  few  hundred 
dollars  for  yourself,  you  deliberately  planned  the  de- 
struction of  this  fine  ship,  and  very  likely  of  all  on 
board.  Now,  understand,  you  will  be  put  in  irons,  and 
if  I  find  the  slightest  attempt  among  the  crew  to  rescue 
you,  up  you  go  to  the  yard-arm,  and  the  leader  of  the 
party  will  keep  you  company  on  the  other." 

Badham,  in  his  whining  tone,  acknowledged  that 
he  understood  clearly  what  the  captain  said,  and  hoped 
never  again  to  offend.  On  this  he  was  led  by  two  of 
the  mates  to  one  of  the  after  store-rooms,  where  he 


Home  Again  !  253 

could  be  under  their  sight,  when  irons  were  put  on 
him,  and  he  was  left  to  his  meditations,  the  door  being 
locked  on  him.  The  next  morning  the  crew  went 
about  their  work  as  usual,  Badham's  dupes  or  accom- 
plices being  easily  distinguished  by  their  downcast, 
cowed  looks,  and  by  the  unusual  promptness  with 
which  they  obeyed  all  orders.  The  officers  and  I 
continued  to  wear  our  pistols  and  side-arms  as  a 
precautionary  measure,  though  we  might  safely 
have  dispensed  with  them. 

A  short  time  before  this,  in  1802,  a  settlement  had 
been  formed  in  Van  Dieinen's  Land,  and  lately 
Hobart  Town,  the  capital,  had  been  commenced.  It 
was,  however,  a  convict  station,  and  no  ships  were 
allowed  to  land  cargoes  there  except  those  which  came 
from  England  direct  with  stores  or  were  sent  from 
Sydney, — in  consequence  of  which  restriction  the 
colonists  were  several  times  nearly  on  the  point  of 
starvation. 

The  heads  of  Port  Jackson  at  length  hove  in  sight, 
and  we  entered  that  magnificent  harbour,  the  entrance 
of  which  Cook  saw  and  named.  Wanting  in  his  usual 
sagacity,  he  took  it  for  a  small  boat  harbour,  and 
passed  by  without  further  exploring  it.  Having  first 
brought  up  in  Neutral  Bay,  that  we  might  be  reported 
to  the  governor,  we  proceeded  some  miles  up  to  Sydney 
Cove,  where  we  anchored  in  excellent  holding  ground 
ab'out  half-pistol-shot  from  the  shore.  Sydney  had 
already  begun  to  assume  the  appearance  of  a  town  of 
some  consideration,  and  contained  fully  5,000  inhabit- 


254  James  Braithwaite. 

ants,  though  still  called  the  camp  by  some  of  the  old 
settlers.  It  is  divided  into  two  parts  by  a  river  which 
runs  into  the  cove,  and  affords  it  unrivalled  advantages 
of  water  communication.  Several  settlements  in  the 
country  had  already  been  established,  among  the  chief 
of  which  were  Paramatta  and  Hawkesbury.  The 
latter  settlement  was  about  six  miles  long,  and  about 
forty  miles  from  Sydney ;  vessels  of  two  hundred  tons 
could  ascend  by  the  river  up  it  a  distance  of  at  least 
forty  miles.  The  town,  such  as  it  then  was,  covered 
about  a  mile  of  ground  from  one  end  to  the  other,  and 
already  gave  promise  of  becoming  a  place  of  consider- 
able extent.  A  wise  and  active  governor,  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Lachlan  Macquarie,  had  ruled  the  settlement 
for  about  a  year,  during  which  period  it  had  made 
rapid  progress.  The  previous  governor  was  the 
notorious  Captain  Bligh,  whose  tyrannical  conduct 
when  in  command  of  the  Bounty  produced  the  dis- 
astrous mutiny  which  took  place  on  board  that  ship. 
The  same  style  of  conduct  when  governor  of  New 
South  Wales,  especially  in  his  treatment  of  Mr.  John 
McArthur,  the  father,  as  he  was  called,  of  the  settle- 
ment, induced  the  colonists  to  depose  him.  The  officers 
and  men  of  the  New  South  Wales  corps  marched  up 
to  the  Government  House,  and,  after  hunting  for  him 
for  some  time,  found  him  concealed  under  a  bed. 
His  person  and  property  were,  however,  carefully 
protected,  and  he  was  shortly  afterwards  put  on  board 
the  Porpoise  sloop-of-war,  and  sent  off  to  England. 
The  settlement,  however,  quickly  recovered  from  the 


Home  Again!  255 

mismanagement   of  this    unhappy  man,  and  was  at 
the  time  of  my  visit  in  a  flourishing  condition. 

I  was  fortunate  in  disposing  of  the  larger  part  of 
the  cargo  under  my  charge  at  good  prices.  Hassall 
and  I  agreed,  however,  that  more  might  be  done  for 
our  owners,  and  we  proposed,  therefore,  visiting  some 
of  the  islands  in  the  Pacific,  and  either  returning  home 
the  way  we  had  come,  or  continuing  on  round  Cape 
Horn.  We  had  not  been  long  in  harbour  before  O'Carroll 
made  his  appearance  on  board.  He  had  brought  the 
ship  of  which  he  had  taken  charge  in  safety  into 
harbour,  when  the  emigrants  presented  him  with  so 
handsome  a  testimonial  that  he  resolved  to  settle  in 
the  colony  and  lay  it  out  to  advantage.  The  governor 
had  made  him  a  grant  of  a  large  extent  of  farm  land, 
and  assigned  him  some  twenty  convict  servants,  land 
in  those  days  being  given  away  to  free  settlers,  and 
labour  of  the  nature  I  have  described  found  them 
gratis. 

"  Altogether  I  am  in  a  fair  way  of  some  day  becom- 
ing a  rich  man,"  he  observed,  "  the  which  I  should 
never  have  been  had  I  continued  ploughing  the  salt 
ocean.  Besides,"  he  added,  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye, 
"  how  do  I  know,  if  I  did,  that  I  should  not  some  day 
fall  into  the  clutches  of  that  fearful  little  monster  La 
Roche  ?  and  if  I  did,  I  know  that  he  would  not  spare 
me.  Do  you  know  that  even  to  this  day  I  cannot 
altogether  get  over  my  old  feelings,  and  often  con- 
gratulate myself  as  I  ride  through  the  bush  that  I  am 
far  out  of  his  reach." 


256  James  Braithwaite. 

O'Carroll  kept  to  his  resolution,  and  became  a  very 
successful  and  wealthy  settler.  I  frequently  received 
letters  from  him  after  my  return  home.  In  one  of 
them  he  told  me  that  he  had  had  a  surprise.  The 
governor  asked  him  one  day,  as  he  could  speak  French, 
whether  he  would  like  to  have  some  French  convicts 
assigned  to  him.  He  had  no  objection,  as  he  thought 
that  he  could  manage  them  easily.  What  was  his 
astonishment,  when  the  party  arrived  at  the  farm,  to 
recognize  among  them,  in  a  little  wizened-looking  old 
man,  his  once  dreaded  enemy  La  Roche !  He  deter- 
mined to  try  and  melt  the  man's  stony  heart  by 
kindness.  At  first  he  was  almost  hopeless  in  the 
matter,  but  he  succeeded  at  last.  La  Roche  confessed 
that  he  had  placed  himself  within  the  power  of  the 
British  laws  in  consequence  of  a  visit  he  paid  to 
England  after  the  war,  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  out 
a  speculation  which  ended  unfortunately.  It  was 
satisfactory  to  hear  that  he  lived  to  become  a  changed 
man,  truly  repenting  of  his  misspent  life,  and  thank- 
ful that  he  had  been  spared  to  repent. 

I  have  not  spoken  of  the  would-be  mutineer,  Bad- 
ham.  It  must  be  remembered  that  he  had  committed 
no  overt  act  of  mutiny,  and  though  Captain  Hassall 
was  perfectly  right  in  putting  him  in  irons,  he  could 
not  have  been  brought  to  trial  on  shore.  The  day 
before  we  reached  Sydney  he  pleaded  so  hard  to  be 
forgiven,  and  so  vehemently  promised  amendment  in 
all  respects,  that  the  captain  resolved  to  give  him  a 
trial.  It  must  be  confessed  that  he  was  not  altogether 


Home  Again!  257 

disinterested  in  this,  as  it  would  have  been  impossible 
to  get  fresh  hands  at  Sydney,  the  temptation  to  settle 
in  the  country  having  by  that  time  become  very  great, 
so  that  it  was  with  difficulty  we  could  keep  several  of 
our  people  who  had  come  from  England. 

Once  more  we  were  at  sea.  We  touched  at  Norfolk 
Island,  to  which  convicts  from  New  South  Wales  were 
sent.  It  seemed  a  pity  that  so  fertile  a  spot,  so  per- 
fect a  little  paradise,  should  be  given  up  for  such  a 
purpose.  We  obtained  here  a  supply  of  vegetables 
and  pork,  which  were  not  to  be  got  at  that  time  at 
any  price  at  Sydney.  After  a  rapid  voyage  from  this 
lovely  little  island  we  anchored  in  Matavai  Bay,  in 
the  island  of  Otaheite.  It  was  at  an  interesting  time 
of  the  history  of  the  island  and  its  king,  Otoo,  who 
since  the  death  of  his  father  had  taken  the  name  of 
Pomarre.  For  many  years  the  band  of  zealous  mis- 
sionaries who  had  come  out  in  the  ship  Duff  had 
laboured  on  among  the  people,  but  though  they  taught 
the  king,  the  young  prince  Otoo,  and  some  of  their 
people,  to  read  and  write,  they  confessed  that  they 
had  not  made  one  satisfactory  convert.  In  1808  the 
greater  number  of  the  missionaries  retired  from 
Otaheite  to  the  island  of  Huahine,  and  the  following 
year  all  the  married  ones  left  that  island  for  New 
South  Wales,  in  consequence  of  the  wars  in  which 
the  king  was  constantly  engaged,  the  destruction  of 
all  their  property,  the  risk  they  ran  of  losing  their 
lives,  and  the  seeming  hopelessness  of  introducing 
Christianity  among  such  a  people.  After  an  absence 

17 


258  james  Braithwaite. 

of  between  two  and  three  years,  several  of  them, 
having  wished  to  make  a  fresh  attempt  to  carry  out 
the  work,  sailed  from  Sydney  for  Tahiti,  but  stopped 
at  the  neighbouring  island  of  Eimeo,  where  the  king 
was  residing,  as  Tahiti  was  still  in  a  state  of  rebellion. 
They  taught  the  people  as  before,  and  now  some  began 
to  listen  to  them  gladly.  They  still  seemed  to  have 
considered  the  king  as  a  hopeless  heathen ;  but  mis- 
fortune had  humbled  him,  he  felt  his  own  nothingness 
and  sinfulness,  and  the  utter  inability  of  the  faith  of 
his  fathers  to  give  him  relief.  After  the  missionaries 
had  lived  in  the  island  about  a  year,  the  king  came  to 
them  and  offered  himself  as  a  candidate  for  baptism, 
declaring  that  it  was  his  fixed  determination  to  wor- 
ship Jehovah,  the  true  God,  and  expressing  his  desire 
to  be  further  instructed  in  the  principles  of  religion. 
The  king  proved  his  sincerity,  and  ever  after  remained 
a  true  and  earnest  Christian.  He  still  resided  at 
Eimeo,  but  a  considerable  number  of  people  in  Tahiti 
had  by  this  time  been  converted,  and  the  old  heathen 
gods  were  falling  into  disrepute. 

So  devastating  had  been  the  character  of  the  late 
wars  in  Tahiti,  that  we  found  it  impossible  to  obtain 
supplies,  and  we  therefore  sailed  for  Ulitea,  the  largest 
of  the  Georgian  group,  where  we  were  informed  that 
we  should  probably  be  more  successful.  No  sooner 
had  we  dropped  anchor  within  the  coral  bed  which 
surrounds  the  island  than  the  king  and  queen  came 
off  to  pay  us  a  visit.  They  were  very  polite,  but  not 
disinterested,  as  their  object  was  to  collect  as  many 


Home  Again  /  259 

gifts  as  we  were  disposed  to  bestow.  This  island  was 
the  chief  seat  of  the  idolatry  of  the  Society  Islands. 
It  was  looked  upon  as  a  sacred  isle  by  the  inhabitants 
of  the  other  islands  of  the  group,  and  more  idols  existed 
and  more  human  sacrifices  were  offered  up  there  than 
in  all  the  others.  We  were  so  completely  deceived  by 
the  plausible  manners  of  the  king  and  queen  and  those 
who  accompanied  them,  that  the  captain  and  I,  the 
surgeon,  and  two  of  the  mates,  went  on  shore  to  visit 
them  in  return,  accompanied  by  several  of  the  crew, 
leaving  the  ship  in  charge  of  Mr.  Randolph,  the  first 
mate.  We  fortunately  carried  our  arms,  though  deem- 
ing it  an  unnecessary  measure  of  precaution.  The 
king  had  an  entertainment  ready  for  us,  and  after- 
wards we  were  allowed  to  roam  about  the  island 
wherever  we  pleased.  I  observed  the  people  at  length 
pressing  round  us,  and  not  liking  their  looks,  advised 
Captain  Hassall  to  order  our  men  to  keep  together, 
and  to  be  prepared  for  an  attack.  AVhether  or  not 
they  saw  that  we  were  suspicious  of  them  we  could 
not  tell,  but  from  this  time  their  conduct  changed,  and 
they  would  only  allow  us  to  proceed  in  the  direction 
they  chose.  At  length,  however,  we  got  down  to  the 
landing-place.  As  we  approached  the  boats  we  saw 
a  band  of  armed  natives  making  for  them.  We  rushed 
down  to  the  beach,  and  reaching  the  boats  just  before 
they  did,  we  jumped  in  and  shoved  off.  These  savages, 
though  savage  as  ever,  were  also  more  formidable 
enemies  than  formerly,  as  many  of  them  had  firearms, 
and  all  had  sharp  daggers  or  swords. 


260  James  Braithwaite. 

On  reaching  the  ship  we  found  that  Badham  and 
his  associates  had,  soon  after  we  left,  seized  a  boat, 
and,  in  spite  of  all  Mr.  Randolph  could  say  or  do,  had 
taken  all  their  clothes  and  other  property  with  them, 
and  gone  on  shore.  Although  by  this  conduct  Badhara 
showed  that  he  could  no  longer  be  trusted,  and  there- 
fore that  we  were  well  rid  of  him,  it  was  important 
that  we  should  get  back  the  other  men,  and  we  agreed 
to  go  on  shore  the  next  morning  to  recover  them. 
Accordingly,  the  chief  mate  and  I  went  on  shore  as 
we  proposed,  with  eight  well-armed  men,  and  de- 
manded an  interview  with  the  king.  He  did  not 
comp  himself,  but  sent  his  prime  minister,  who  agreed, 
for  six  hatchets  and  a  piece  of  cloth,  to  deliver  them 
up.  We  waited  for  some  hours,  but  the  deserters 
were  not  forthcoming,  and  at  last  the  minister  and 
another  chief  appeared,  and  declared  that  as  the  men 
were  likely  to  fight  for  their  liberty,  it  would  be 
necessary  that  we  should  lend  them  our  arms. 

"  Very  likely,  indeed,  gentlemen,"  answered  Mr. 
Randolph,  at  once  detecting  the  palpable  trick  to  get 
us  into  their  power. 

"  I  say,  Braithwaite,  what  say  you  to  seizing  these 
fellows  and  carrying  them  on  board  as  hostages  ?  It 
could  easily  be  done." 

"  Cook  lost  his  life  in  making  a  similar  attempt, 
and  we  might  lose  ours,"  I  answered.  "  I  would  rather 
lose  the  men  than  run  any  such  risk." 

In  vain  we  endeavoured  by  diplomacy  to  recover 
the  men,  and  at  last  we  returned  on  board,  the  min- 


Home  Again!  261 

ister  losing  the  hatchets  and  piece  of  cloth.  A  feeling 
of  anxiety  prevented  me  from  turning  in,  and  I 
walked  the  deck  for  some  time  with  Benjie  Stubbs, 
the  officer  of  the  watch.  At  length  I  went  below  and 
threw  myself  on  my  bed,  all  standing,  as  sailors  say 
when  they  keep  their  clothes  on.  I  had  scarcely 
dropped  asleep  when  I  was  awoke  by  hearing  Stubbs 
order  the  lead  to  be  hove.  I  was  on  deck  in  a  moment, 
followed  by  the  captain  and  the  other  officers. 

"  We  are  on  shore  to  a  certainty,"  exclaimed  Stubbs, 
in  an  agitated  tone. 

"  Impossible  ! "  observed  the  captain,  "  the  anchors 
are  holding." 

"  We'll  haul  in  on  the  cables  and  see,  sir,"  answered 
Stubbs,  calling  some  of  the  crew  to  his  assistance. 
The  cables  immediately  came  on  board.  They  had 
been  cut  through.  Still  there  was  a  perceptible 
motion  of  the  ship  towards  the  shore.  Another  anchor 
with  an  iron  stock  was  immediately  cleared  away,  but 
some  time  was  lost  in  stocking  it,  and  before  it  could 
be  let  go  we  felt  the  ship  strike  against  a  coral  reef 
with  considerable  force.  Happily  there  was  no 
wind,  or  she  would  speedily  have  gone  to  pieces.  At 
last  we  carried  the  anchors  out,  and  'hauled  her  off, 
but  not  without  unusual  difficulty.  -Suddenly  tiie 
captain  jumped  into  a  boat  and  pulled  round  the 
ship. 

"  I  thought  so  !  "  he  exclaimed  ;  "  the  villains  have 
fastened  a  rope  to  her  rudder,  and  were  towing  us  on 
the  rocks."  He  cut  the  rope  as  he  spoke,  and  with 


262  James  Braithwaite. 

comparative  ease  we  got  the  ship  out  of  her  perilous 
position.  Still  she  was  so  near  the  high  cliffs  which 
almost  surrounded  us  that  we  might  be  seriously 
annoyed,  not  only  by  musketry  but  by  stones  and 
darts.  It  was  evident,  also,  that  should  a  breeze  set 
in  from  the  sea,  the  single  anchor  would  not  hold, 
and  that  we  must  be  driven  back  again  on  the  coral 
rocks. 

We  were  not  left  long  in  doubt  as  to  the  intention 
of  the  savages  and  the  deserters,  their  instigators. 
Suddenly  fearful  shouts  burst  from  the  cliffs  above 
us,  and  we  were  assailed  by  a  fire  of  musketry  and  by 
darts  and  stones  hurled  on  our  deck.  To  return  it 
would  have  been  useless,  for  we  could  not  see  our 
enemies.  Meantime  we  kept  the  men  under  cover  as 
much  as  possible,  and  got  another  anchor  stocked  and 
ready  to  carry  out  ahead.  The  savages  must  have 
seen  the  boat,  for  as  soon  as  she  was  clear  of  the  ship 
they  opened  fire  on  her,  and  it  was  not  without  dif- 
ficulty that  the  anchor  was  carried  out  to  the  required 
distance,  and  the  crew  of  the  boat  hurriedly  returned 
on  board. 

Owing  to  Badham's  machinations,  some  of  the  crew 
had  at  first  been  disaffected,  but  a  common  danger 
now  united  them,  as  they  saw  full  well  the  treatment 
they  might  expect  should  the  savages  get  possession 
of  the  ship.  Besides  the  ship's  guns  we  had  four 
swivels,  thirty  muskets,  and  several  blunderbusses  and 
braces  of  pistols.  These  were  all  loaded  and  placed 
ready  for  use,  with  a  number  of  boarding-pikes,  for 


Home  Again!  263 

•we  thought  that  at  any  moment  the  savages  would 
come  off  in  their  canoes  and  attempt  to  board  us. 
The  whole  night  long  they  kept  us  on  the  alert,  howl- 
ing and  shrieking  in  the  most  fearful  manner.  Soon 
after  day  broke  their  numbers  increased,  and  as  they 
could  now  take  aim  with  their  firearms  our  danger 

C3 

became  greater.  Fortunately  they  were  very  bad 
marksmen,  or  they  would  have  picked  us  all  off. 
Strange  as  it  may  seem,  no  one  was  hit,  though  our 
rigging  and  boats  received  much  damage.  After  the 
crew  had  breakfasted  we  sent  two  boats  out  ahead  to 
tow  off  the  ship,  but  the  bullets  and  other  missiles 
flew  so  thickly  about  them  that  they  returned,  the 
men  declaring  that  the  work  was  too  dangerous. 

o  o 

However,  Benjie  Stubbs,  jumping  into  one  of  the 
boats,  persuaded  them  to  go  again,  while  we  opened  a 
fire  from  the  deck  of  the  ship.  As  soon  as  the  savages 
saw  us  ready  to  fire,  they  dodged  behind  the  rocks,  so 
that  none  of  them  were  wounded.  Still  we  hoped 
that  by  this  means  the  boats  would  be  allowed  to  tow 
ahead  without  molestation.  We  were  mistaken,  for 
the  savages  shifted  their  ground,  and  once  more  drove 
the  boats  on  board.  We  clearly  distinguished  Badharn 
and  the  rest  of  the  deserters  among  the  savages,  and 
several  times  they  were  seen  to  fire  at  us.  Happily 
they  also  were  wretched  shots,  and  their  muskets 
thoroughly  bad  also.  That  they  should  venture  to 
fire  showed  that  they  had  no  doubt  of  getting  us  into 
their  power,  for  should  we  escape  and  inform  against 
them,  they  would  run  a  great  chance  of  being  captured 


264  James  Braithwaite. 

and  hanged.  Later  in  the  day,  Jack  and  I  again 
made  attempts  to  tow  out  the  ship  from  her  perilous 
position. 

The  savages  all  the  day  continued  howling  and 
shrieking  and  working  themselves  into  what  seemed 
an  ungovernable  fury,  while  they  were,  however, 
biding  their  time,  knowing  that  probably  a  strong 
sea-breeze  would  soon  spring  up  and  cast  the  ship 
helpless  into  their  power.  Thus  another  night  closed 
on  us.  Ere  long  great  was  our  joy  to  feel  a  light  air 
blowing  off  the  shore.  The  pauls  of  the  windlass 
were  muffled,  and  not  a  word  was  spoken.  The 
anchors  were  lifted,  the  top-sails  were  suddenly  let 
drop,  and  slowly  we  glided  off  from  the  land.  The 
weather  becoming  very  thick  and  dark,  we  were  com- 
pelled again  to  anchor,  lest  we  might  have  run  on  one 
of  the  many  reefs  surrounding  the  island.  Here  we 
remained  on  our  guard  till  daylight,  when  we  could 
see  the  natives  dancing  and  gesticulating  with  rage  at 
finding  that  we  had  escaped  them.  The  favourable 
breeze  continuing,  we  were  soon  able  to  get  far  out 
of  their  reach,  I  for  one  deeply  thankful  that  we  had 
not  only  escaped  without  loss  ourselves,  but  without 
killing  any  of  the  unhappy  savages.  The  treatment 
we  received  was  such  as  at  that  time  might  have  been 
expected  from  the  inhabitants  of  nearly  all  the  islands 
of  the  Pacific,  including  those  of  New  Zealand,  and 
numberless  were  the  instances  of  ships'  companies  and 
boats'  crews  cut  off  by  them. 

A  very  few  years  after  our  visit,  this  same  island 


Home  Again  !  265 

was  brought  under  missionary  influence,  the  idols  were 
overthrown,  heathenism  and  all  its  abominable  practices 
disappeared,  and  the  inhabitants  became  a  thoroughly 
well-ordered,  God-fearing,  and  law-obeying  Christian 
community.  The  same  account  may  be  given  of  the 
larger  number  of  the  islands  which  stud  the  wide 
Pacific,  and  ships  may  now  sail  from  north  to  south, 
and  east  to  west,  without  the  slightest  danger  from 
the  inhabitants  of  by  far  the  greater  portion  of 
them. 

But  it  is  time  that  I  should  bring  my  narrative  to 
a  conclusion.  This  adventure  at  Ulitea  was  amongst 
my  last.  Finding  that  our  trading  expedition  to  the 
Pacific  Islands  was  not  likely  to  prove  of  advantage 
to  our  owners,  Captain  Hassall  and  I  resolved  to  pro- 
ceed home  at  once  round  Cape  Horn. 

We  happily  accomplished  our  voyage  without  acci- 
dent and  without  any  further  occurrence  worthy  of 
note.  Our  path  was  no  longer  beset  by  hostile 
cruisers,  for  there  was  a  lull  in  the  affairs  of  Europe. 
After  the  many  excitements  of  the  past  few  months, 
the  days  seemed  long  and  tedious  as  I  had  never 
known  them  before ;  and  it  was  with  a  sense  of  relief, 
as  well  as  of  real  pleasure,  that  I  again  saw  in  the 
early  morning  light  the  shores  of  old  England  looming 
clear  in  the  distance.  I  need  not  dwell  on  all  the 
happy  circumstances  of  my  return,  or  on  the  special 
satisfaction  with  which  I  looked  again  on  one  familiar 
face.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  I  had  the  gratification  of 
receiving  the  commendation  of  my  kind  friend  Mr. 


266  James  Braithwaite. 

Janrin  for  the  way  in  which  I  had  carried  out  his 
instructions  and  performed  my  duties  as  Supercargo ; 
and  that  this  voyage  prepared  the  way  for  more  sub- 
stantial proofs  of  his  favour. 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


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